Until Dawn
by Dolphindreamer
Summary: When Edward leaves Bella behind in NM it's just the beginning of the spiraling downward events in her life. Now fending for herself in Seattle, Bella is trying to hold a job and remain afloat from her living nightmares when she happens upon the Volturi.
1. Chapter 1

**~Prologue~**

I'm not a heroine. I'm not the main character of a perfect fairy tale, or the girl who everyone admires for her strength. I'm not brave, or drop-dead gorgeous or graceful. I don't have a cunning wit or genius level intelligence. I'm just a girl who got caught up in a nightmare and was desperately trying to keep afloat of the despair. I am weak, but I can't be anyone but myself and all the faults that come with that. I've tried being someone else before but it just makes the outcome worse in the end.

I would later discover that the self-built walls that kept others at arm length from me would be to both my detriment and my benefit. The fact that my emotions and opinions do war within my mind without the sign of a ripple hinting what is going on beneath the calm façade on my face. That human instinct only gets you so far and then you just have to take a leap of faith and pray you'll make it. That independence isn't all that important in the long run, and that sometimes if you can make it to the end of the day with most of your morals intact, you've done well, even if everything else seems to suggest otherwise.

My name is Isabella Swan, and I'm just trying to make it to the next dawn.

**Chapter 1**

BPOV

My hands shake as I swallow yet another Xanax, praying this dose would get me through the next few hours. I had felt the tentative grip I had on reality begin to slip as from the corner of my eye one of the men leaving had reminded me of Charlie in his gestures and posture. While at work I know I can't risk slipping into that dark place of my mind. The sneer of one of my fellow co-workers doesn't help my anxiety any before I shove my prescription bottle back in my ragged backpack in the employee storage area. Taking a deep breath I force myself to go back out into the crowded Italian Bistro that I work at.

It is a popular place, favoured by many business men from the nearby office buildings. I haven't worked here for long (anxiety attacks and relapses at the last six places I'd worked meant that it was difficult to keep a job for any reasonable stretch of time). The pay was crap, but the tips were decent in this part of town and the bistro was almost always busy which meant no lag time that I could drift away in.

Picking up my orders I weave around the bustling café and silently deposit the specialty coffee drinks with the food to those who had been waiting. After fifteen minutes the tense, stressed, self-hatred and paranoia I felt since the reminder of my father starts to ease letting me know the Xanax has kicked in. If I could just avoid touching or being touched too much until the end of my shift I might actually be able to focus enough to work on paying my bills and cleaning my grungy apartment a little before falling into the not-so-peaceful oblivion known as sleep. Sometimes I just can't decide whether my nightmares or the vivid twists my imagination come up with are worse.

The little bell over the entrance tinkles merrily letting us staff know yet more people have entered. I turn to look accidently getting my shin hit with a chair that has been left out in the walkway for my trouble. Gasping quietly I rub it quick before straightening again. It really is a good thing the uniforms here include long pants as due to my innate clumsiness I'm always sporting a small collection of bruises and cuts on my fair skin.

"Isabella! Table seven, hurry up!" one of the other girls hiss at me. I don't bother to reply (not that she waited for one), instead I just orient myself towards the designated table.

Getting there in relatively good time I quickly glance out of the corner of my eye to see that it is-yet again- a table full of businessmen. Without looking at any of them I begin my spiel.

"Welcome to Sanremo Bistro, I am Isabella and I'll be your waitress this afternoon." I announce with as much sincerity as I can muster at the moment. I'm fairly sure my efforts fail though, as I sound quite monotone to even my own ears. Taking a deep breath I finally look up to face the customers I am serving to tell them of the specials.

"Today we-" and I stop, because what is sitting in front of me cannot by the holy hand of God be true. It absolutely cannot be real. I can feel the blood drain from my face in such a rush I didn't think was possible, while my eyes widen without my conscious consent.

Sitting before me along with a couple of ordinary businessmen are some not so ordinary vampires.

After the circumstances and happenings that I have lived through I can differentiate a vampire from a human in a literal split-second. The lines of their faces and bodies are always too perfect. Their skin no matter the lighting is a cold bloodless white. Paleness is not the issue- but rather the lack of colour that fresh blood beneath the skin is the most obvious giveaway. Not to mention if you happen to catch one in the sunlight. Their faces are always immaculate- no discolouration, pores, or imperfections to be seen. Humans always have imperfections. Lastly, of course is their eyes. Golden-bronze for the vegetarians like my _former_ family or the much more common bright blood red for the human drinkers. Or for those vainly attempting to blend in a muddy burgundy-brown colour of a brown contact lens overtop.

As I said before it took me more time to breathe in my next breath than it did to take in all these details of the three vampire men before me, muddy red-brown eyes and all. What scared me to the point I almost peed was that I recognized the centre male vaguely. His sharp posture screamed of past eras, the look of distain on his face spoke volumes about his thoughts about his companions and his business suit was immaculate. What grabbed me the most though was his white blond hair, piercing eyes and youthful face bellied by the sense of authority he seemed to exude. Caius Volturi.

My instincts flared and I knew I couldn't pause for any longer than I already had. I quickly broke eye contact and bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to bring me back into focus slightly. Then I forced myself to speak, desperately hoping whatever came out of my mouth didn't draw any attention my way.

"R-right. Um. T-today's specials are listed on the c-card here" I quickly gestured to the card on the table "and fountain d-drinks have free r-refills. ?"

I glanced up at them briefly and continued before barely half a second had gone by, interrupting one of the human men about to order as they stared at me incredulously.

"No? OkayI'llbebackinabit…afteryoulookatthemenus." And with that prime display of articulation I turned around and tried to not look like I was sprinting away from the table.

By the time I am in the backroom again my entire body is trembling. I can hear my breath hammering quickly in and out of my lungs as I fling off my apron, then take all my tips and shove them quickly in the pocket of my backpack. One of the other girls on break is watching me with wide eyes as I pull on my jacket. Barely glancing at her I mutter

"I'm not feeling well, I need to leave. Sorry," before I dash out the back door and toward the subway. Running on instinct I'm praying to any listening God (or Goddess, demi-god, sprite, spirit- whatever I'm not picky) that the lunch meeting that had required a Volturi present for was important enough that they couldn't leave part way through. Or at least couldn't wrap-up quickly enough before I manage to get my butt on a subway car heading in any direction followed by a few more random types of public transportation so my scent is lost amongst the comings and goings of the city.

As I slip through the doors of a car just leaving, squishing myself in amongst the crowd I try to breathe deeply and calm myself. If asked none of the staff of Sanremo Bistro that are currently on shift know much of anything about me other than my first name. Well that and I have some sort of need for medication. The manager who does the hiring and thus has my address and personal information wasn't in today so that shouldn't be too much of an issue. And I hadn't said anything to tip them off. No mention of sparkling or blood. I hadn't looked at Caius for long I don't think. If I'm at all due for some luck now would be a good time for it to come through- I mean surely I had had enough curveballs thrown my way to last me for a while, right? Please just let them think I was a strange waitress with a mental problem, and not someone who knows one of the best kept secrets in history.

Run-down apartment building. I've been crisscrossing Seattle for six hours hoping to throw off their trail if they're even following me at all. I'm fairly sure I'm over my limit for how many Xanax I'm supposed to take in a day, especially considering I've not eaten since my rather small lunch earlier. My head keeps whipping from side-to-side as I bypass alleyways, knowing that I look suspicious but unable to help myself. Night isn't exactly a good time to be female and alone in this neighbourhood, nevermind my vamp issues. I trip slightly over a curb but manage to catch myself as I finally make it to the entrance for my building.

The dingy stairwell seems longer and steeper than normal as I stumble up the three flights of stairs to my floor. It takes me a further five minutes to actually get the key to open the flimsy door before I'm in and locking it behind me. My vision is starting to blacken around the edges as I tremble and stumble towards my bed in the one room apartment, almost collapsing to the ground beside it as I pull out my emergency stash from beneath the bed. Ripping open the dufflebag I shove my backpack into it and pull my sleeping bag off the thin mattress before shoving it in there too. I grab the two photos on the dresser along with the rest of my medication and toiletries before scanning the room. I lunge for the package of granola bars and add them to my bag as well. All my clothes go next and the rest I can leave behind, though there isn't really much. By this point though my hysteria has broken through the chemical barriers I tried to erect and the darkness in my vision is becoming more persistent. The images of blood and gore and pain rise up from my mind and I am lost once more to the horrors in my unconscious. I won't even remember falling to the ground.

"Human. Wake up human." I feel something hard poking me and I really don't like it. Reluctantly I open my eyelids and blink a few times as I wake-up. I am no longer in my shabby little apartment but instead what appears to be a hotel room. For some reason I am strangely calm to be waking up in a new place, but the numbness is often a side-effect when I black-out. I probably should be more worried than I am, but I just can't bring myself to care yet. That will come soon enough, it always does.

"Finally! She's awake Lord Caius," breaks through my sleep-addled thoughts and I turn my head to the side to see a small blonde vampire with a sneer of disgust as she looks down at me. It's then that I wonder if I'm still asleep. The sneer of hatred and the bright ruby red eyes are often the beginning of most of my night terrors.

Suddenly the girl is gone and approaching is Caius, back in the robes and necklace that he sported in the painting of the Volturi in Carlisle's study. I'm more convinced than ever this is a figment of my overactive imagination- surely the Volturi didn't actually go around in velvet robes all the time, it would be highly impractical. Knowing the blood and screaming and torture is likely to start soon (going with the pattern of all my previous dreams) I stiffly pull myself upwards and lean against the headboard of the bed I am laying in.

"Girl, do you know what I am?" Caius asks abruptly in the silence of the room. I blink at him for a moment. My nightmare vampire's don't usually have conversations with me before the pain starts. I nod my head slowly anyways, knowing there is no point in lying- they can always tell. The heart goes a little faster, the pupils dilate, the hair on your arms stands up slightly- all large flashing signs for vampires.

"What am I?" he demands, you can tell from his voice he is used to getting exactly what he wants from those around him. Still looking at his perfect skin I notice that up close it looks less resilient than the others do, almost older and slightly parchment-like.

"Vampire." I admit, barely breathing the word. I'll die and wake up soon to my real hell.

I go to brush my bed hair back from my face when my wrist is suddenly encased in cold stone. Caius is staring at James' bite mark as if he has never seen such a thing.

"Why are you not dead? Who told you about us? How did you recognize us in the restaurant? Answer me!" he demands shaking my arm slightly. The anger in his tone draws more vampires from outside the room into it to see what has riled up their Master.

My senses are starting to come back to me now and there is a creeping feeling of hysteria that's flickering in the back of my mind. I desperately cling to the numbness- no this is just another awful dream.

"Thought being a waitress would be a safe choice- nothing to do with vampires at all," I mumble aloud to myself musing more than answering his questions. "But POP comes the Volturi out of nowhere." I continue to babble.

Caius' jaw clenches as do the fingers holding my wrist. A sharp pain radiates up my arm from the contact driving back more of the numbness. Things are starting to become clearer and I'm starting to feel confused and frightened and anxious again. Not that that is anything new.

"You will answer me girl, how were you informed of our existence? Who gave you knowledge of the Volturi?" he again demanded voice raised slightly and shaking my arm again. This causes my arm to jolt sending shooting agony through my wrist, and suddenly I realize this is most definitely not another night terror but real.

Now at this point I had three options. I could act oblivious, which was unlikely to do anything but piss Caius Volturi off even more, but I could none the less. I could beg them just to kill me quickly and hope to find some sort of peace in the afterlife. Or, I could explain about _them_.

Most people I understand would try to save their own skin and throw _them_ and all the events since _them_ under the bus so-to-speak. I'm not like most people I've found unfortunately. I realize I'm not exactly stable with all that has gone on over the last three years but I've had to deal with that anyway I could. The name of their family did things to me mentally that I knew I couldn't deal with. Every time the C-word would come out of my mouth or really anyone else's since they left something awful would happen. Maybe it is coincidence; maybe it's my paranoia kicking into high gear, whatever the reason it still comes down to the issue that I simply won't speak of them. I no longer hold any loyalty to them, don't misunderstand, simply that something to do with them always leads to the route with the most pain possible. I'd much rather die.

"Please just kill me." I told him softly. Caius looked at me incredulously for a moment before letting go of my wrist.

"You will die, but the vampires who leaked our existence to you must be punished for their actions. You must tell me first." Caius stated emotionlessly watching my every move like the predator he is.

My mind flashes once again to poor Sarah-Anne as Victoria ripped open her throat.

"C-can't" I stutter in return cradling my pained wrist and tightening both arms around myself as much as I could.

Caius growls in frustration before turning to the group of observing vampires. "Jane!" he shouts. The little sneering blonde from before steps forward, the others rapidly moving out of her way as she does so. She has a mean little smile on her face as she looks towards me.

We all sit there for a moment, I just waiting for something to happen. The blonde's face wrinkles slightly with concentration then soon horror.

"It's not working Lord Caius," she stammers. If at all possible the ensemble of vampire's begin to observe me with even more intensity.

"Try it on someone else!" Caius orders with a mix of anger and disbelief. In the next moment one of the large men in the crowd drops to the floor screaming in agony. I whimper at the site the screams bringing me someplace I didn't want to return to. It rises like a demon from my mind and pulls me in. There are screams, and burning flesh, heavy smoke and blood. So much blood. An emptiness that tries to consume me followed by shouting and pain. I'm in hell again, and I can't get out.

CPOV

Jane quickly cuts her power off, allowing Felix to get up off the floor. The girl is whimpering and trembling, even after Felix's screams have ceased. She rocks herself on the bed and then the smell of her fear starts to sweep out into the room. She has well and truly lost her hold on sanity at this moment and I know there is no use attempting to get any other information out of her in this state. I would just have her killed, except the Volturi must know how she survived a bite from one of us. Not to mention that leaving the loose end of unpunished vampires that informed her of our world cannot be left untouched. The Volturi stay a powerhouse by missing _nothing_. Even if it takes a century to finish Volturi tasks are always ended. Completely.

I am about to leave the room in disgust at the weak-minded female when she starts to mumble.

"Charlie…Dad! Daddy! I'm so sorry, all my fault never should have….blood so much blood… Newborns, oh god they're Newborns!" before breaking off into sobs once more.

Needless to say that spikes my interest. Anything to do with newborns gets messy quickly, and these somehow were in the vicinity of this human. The Volturi don't even like to deal with more than one or two newborns at the same time. Whatever secrets are locked in this girl's mind are vital and possibly time sensitive, which brings my next move easily forward.

"Get everything she needs, we shall bring her back to Aro."

The girl, one "Isabella Marie Swan" according to her license, seems to have lapsed into a semi-catatonic state. She breathes, and blinks but does not respond otherwise. For a vampire such as myself that rarely interacts with humans other than to feed or dispose of, I find her behaviour disturbing. So much so that the majority of the plane ride thus far I have spent watching her, unable to focus for too long on my reports with the wet thumping of her heart so close by. The younger ones either eye her with disgust as with young Jane, or try to pretend she does not exist. I am just finishing my notes about the investment opportunity that the girl interrupted when I hear a strange gurgling noise. Looking up (and noticing every other vampire in the vicinity glance up as well) I can tell it has come from the girl. The sound appears to be originating from her abdomen. How strange.

"What does that mean?" I demand. We can't afford to have the child die on us so my concern is well placed.

It is Alec that finally responds eyeing the girl with his forehead slightly furrowed. "I believe it indicates hunger, master Caius. She should probably eat something."

Felix groans softly and wrinkles his nose in disgust. The smell of human food may not be pleasant to us but I understand the necessity of it and see no need to act in such a manner. Just like disposal of the corpses after we have fed is essential but a chore too. "Felix find and prepare something for her to eat," I order before turning back to the finishing touches on my report. I can hear Jane and her brother lightly snickering at the perturbed face that Felix has put on in response to my order. Of course his reply is as expected "Yes, Master Caius." No one among the guard is willing to risk my wrath.

The only vampires of my acquaintance that are willing to go against me are my two brothers, my sister-in-law Sulpicia, Aro's wife, and my own wife Athenodora. Though I rarely get into any sort of confrontation with either of the women out of respect and lack of conflicting topics shared between us. Though both will offer opinions or requests from time to time the actual running of the Volturi is left to my brothers and I. It is not that they lack the ability to rule or are unintelligent- Sulpicia in particular has a uncanny ability to strategize, and my beloved Athenodora is fluent in some 40 odd modern languages and dialects- it is merely that both have other pursuits that capture their interest and that we all come from a time where the men dealt with war. In the past Athenodora and Sulipica both have taken over the running of the guard when all three of us brothers have been required for one reason or another.

It always amuses me greatly to watch my fair-haired elfin built wife lose her temper with one of the bulky male guards. Her face alight with anger and her tongue sharp as she scolds and their heads either bowed with shame or as they vainly try to keep their own opinions and emotions in check. And all the guard soon learn that none of us brothers ever let the guard's opinions or emotions come out with regards to either of the wives go unpunished.

Even Marcus who for the last 1500 years has had apathy as his staple emotion is quick to intervene on behalf of Athenodora or Sulipica. Our family always comes first, and especially since Didyme's death, both women have been treasured and coddled. It is difficult for me to understand how in today's society men who supposedly love their women merely watch them put themselves in danger or to face difficulties on their own unsupported. My brothers and I come from a time when such was unheard of. Women from good families are to be cherished, loved and protected. That is the way it has always been, and amongst the Volturi while we rule, how it shall always be.

The females of the guard are rarely sent on missions alone, and are usually not used in physical confrontations. Though it varies of course, female vampires are still weaker than males generally and though we do not breed, a mate is the most precious of all gifts to a vampire. They break the monotony of our long immortal lives, and bring us a sense of peace and completeness. I am not a kind man by any means but with Athenodora I can even be soft.

Felix interrupts my train of thought bypassing me with a tray of human food and holding an apple. He steps in front of the girl who continues to stare through him, and he pauses before waving the apple in front of her face. She does not respond of course, and I am tempted to roll my eyes at my guard's stupidity. "Felix," I bark, "you'll have to try and get her attention, the girl is in a panicked state, she won't do anything unless you get her out of it." I may not know much about humans, but even I know that much.

Felix just nods before he pokes her shoulder a couple times. I sigh softly and briefly pinch the bridge of my nose. Felix may be strong but he is dumb enough to give even vampires twinges of head pains. A moment later I hear him speak again, causing my head to fly upwards.

"Hey Jane!"

I roar in response. "STOP IMMEDIAETLY!"

Jane's face is one of confusion and horror when I look her way. Felix looks sheepish, and Alec concerned. I continue my rant. "Jane, it was your gift that caused her mental recession in the first place, show some common sense! And Felix, I said to gain the human's attention not torture her beyond all use!" It is a brief moment of silence before Jane finally responds seemingly not to have heard a word I said.

"She didn't react," she breathes out her words barely a whisper.

"What?" I bark in response. This seems to jolt the chit back into the present as her face immediately schools itself and she turns her attention finally towards me.

"Master Caius, before you ordered me to stop, I did use my power on her. She, she didn't react at all. No twitching, no screaming, nothing! Just like before!" I stare at her in response not knowing exactly what to say. My mind is processing multiple possibilities for this phenomena at once- coming to rest on my main concern that her mind has completely shattered and even Aro won't be able to get much from her. I go back to pinching the bridge of my nose, tired beyond belief from all the curve balls that have been thrown at my orderly plans within the last twenty-four hours. I eventually decide to merely go over the issue in the back of my mind for now, knowing my vampire mind will continue to make theories and attempt to sort out what this girl is based on the information available, while the forefront of my thoughts are taken up by other things. I simply hope that Aro will be able to bring some clarity to this entire clusterfuck.

"Jane, Felix, sit down and be silent," I order not bothering to look at either of them. Instead I turn to look at the girl again trying to come up with a way to make her respond enough to consume something. Alec interrupts my thought process.

"Master Caius?" he questions softly.

"Yes?" I hiss out in response, my impatience not at all subtle within my tone.

"I have an idea to possibly wake the human, and it won't harm her further, my lord."

Slowly I turn to face him one eyebrow arched to further indicate my patience is short but that I am listening.

"Perhaps we could pour cold water on her face, Master Caius. That always seems to be the option used by humans themselves on television and in novels." Thinking quickly for a moment I nod in agreement. I am not one for television generally but I know the twins enjoy watching it, Jane in particular showing the age she was changed at with her love of 'Saturday Morning Cartoons' whatever they were. I cannot see the harm in this option as long as we dry the human off immediately afterwards. It would not do to have her become ill before she has lived out her purpose.

"Finally a practical suggestion," I state standing and moving to sit across from the human girl. "Alec, go retrieve me a vessel of water and a cloth."

He quickly does so, thankfully before retreating to his sister's side. It makes me immeasurably glad that Alec and Jane came as a package deal so to speak, as dealing with Jane's temper without her brother's calming influence is not something I wish to deal with in addition to everything else going on at the moment.

Holding the plastic cup that Alec has given me I figure there is no real finesse required for this and I splash the water in one smooth movement on the girl's face. She immediately starts in place blinking a couple times at me before you can see the residence of a soul once again take up behind her eyes. She looks extremely confused and there is a dash of hurt as though asking what she had done wrong to deserve cold water poured on her. I shove the towel towards her before she can speak or look around at all.

"Dry yourself off," I order sternly as she takes the proffered item. I then go on to add- for there is no use in causing this obviously fragile minded human added stress until we get what we wish from her- "you haven't responded to anything for the last four hours. You must eat." With that I drop the tray into her lap, which she quickly reaches out to steady, and return to my previous seat.

She watches my departure blinking owlishly a few times before letting out a soft "Thank-you." If I had not been a vampire I would not have heard the sentiment. Of all the things thanking me? The vampire in charge of her kidnapping and being hauled to a different continent and the girl is thanking me. I shake my head at the ridiculousness of it.

A little while later she still has not done more than move the food around the plate, her hair curling ever-so-slightly due to the moisture left over from her wake-up call. "Child, you must actually consume the food in order for it to have any value, not merely stare at it." I finally state my exasperation apparent in my tone.

She looks up at me then, surprised, before her face completely flushes and she ducks her head. I can smell the rush of blood to the surface of her cheeks and it looks surprisingly charming on the creature.

"Sorry," she murmurs before actually eating a forkful of food. I nod sharply and turn back to my papers. Any other human in this situation would be making an unholy racket demanding to know where we are going and what their fate is to be, but not this girl. Her strangeness puts me ill at ease and I can only hope Aro will know what to make of her.

**AN:** Hello, all. This is my first dive into Twilight fanfiction and I hope you are as captivated by the Volturi as I am. Firstly, I want to say this is the first piece that I've felt the need to write for years, as I lost my writing support group when I moved and so have been completely unmotivated. I'm hoping, with encouragement, your thoughts, opinions, critiques and ideas I'll be able to finish this piece making it something to be proud of. Warning though this will have Bella with Marcus, a significantly older vampire so if you don't like the age difference please do not read this. Also, this story will eventually have an M rating please keep that in mind- there will be blood, death and sex. And, like a male from a previous time period Marcus will be quite dominant in nature around Bella. In no way will he harm her or disrespect her, he's just going to be very protective and possessive too. In this story Aro did not kill Didyme, nor have her killed. You'll find out more about that situation with time.

So, please tell me your thoughts. Should I continue this? Does it sound interesting so far? Please let me know. ~Dolphin Dreamer


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two**

MPOV

Yet another day where I must sit here listening to the pathetic and insignificant woes of vampires visiting Volterra. The only thing of even passable interest is that Caius should be returning soon and so Athenodora is excitedly pacing in the conservatory just beside the throne room. It is nice to see someone have a completely pure source of joy.

Aro is humming and haaing to the worthless vampire in front of us as though he is actually contemplating helping him. I close my eyes and try and drown the entire thing out. I do not particularly care one way or another that my brother enjoys playing head games with the common vampires that come to us, but I dislike having to listen to it when he says such similar things over and over again.

Finally the scum is disposed of (it really was his own fault that caused that other coven to move into the territory he inhabited), and Aro calls asking Sulpicia and Athenodora to come join us. The majority of the guard relax minutely and I can hear Heidi sweeping up the ashes of the former annoyance followed by the footfalls of the approaching wives. Sulpicia goes to sit on Aro's lap, her footfalls slightly further apart than Athenodora's due to her longer legs and there is a similar rustle of fabric as Athenodora sits upon Caius' throne.

It is Athenodora who finally breaks the near silence of Aro and Sulpicia kissing (of which they are wont to do whenever they are together for any uninterrupted period of time) by asking the question I knew would come up sooner or later, and therefore did not actually need to voice myself.

"Aro, did you have something to inform us about? Why is it that Caius is returning so soon? The meetings in the Americas were supposed to continue into next week were they not?" she asks. I can almost hear the questioning stare and slight censure that is surely upon her face. Athenodora may word things pleasantly and appear flighty or uninformed but she knows Caius' schedule better than he himself. She is also one of the few to be able to speak to Aro thusly without consequences. Aro, in standard fashion ignores any hidden meanings to her tone and answers her brightly "Quite right, Athenodora, however, I received a call from Afton just this morning and was informed that something had come up and interfered with our plans and so they were returning to Volterra forthwith. Caius had Afton convey that my presence would be necessary and that the matter may be time sensitive so of course I agreed and asked Afton to send along my condolences to Caius about the ruination of his plans. You my dear, are all too familiar with how unsettled poor Caius gets when things do not go his way."

Though outwardly I made no sign of it, I mentally perked up at that statement. Aro had a way of layering information within information behind the guise of whimsy and a carefree cheerful tone that made people underestimate him. After centuries of practice the entire family, and a good portion of the guard, became adept at deciphering his words to get to the heart of the matter. The point of fact for this is that Caius does _not_ change his plans for anything short of unmitigated disaster. That he himself was coming back with the guard and not merely moving them about like chess pieces to forcefully put things back in place for his plans to go through, was significant. In addition to this, that Caius was so vague in his message, or that of Aro in his retelling of it, meant that the matter could have great impact on us as a family and needed to have any information pertaining to it kept as low key as was possible in a castle full of super-hearing vampires. It also likely means that this was either large enough that Caius couldn't deal with the matter on his own, or is something he had not experienced before in his long life and therefore needed to regroup so to speak and confer with us.

One of the many things about the Volturi most do not know is that the reason we have succeeded in holding power for so long is that there are no secrets between the three of us. Where one is weak the other two are strong and vise versa. It often appears to bystanders or even those within the lower guard that both Aro and Caius have their own agendas and plots completely unknown to the other two thirds of our power base. It also often appears as though Aro is the one really running the show as it were. The fact of the matter is that that is simply not true.

Of course in the past we have had differing directions or aims we have wanted to complete, but secrets on a political front become lies and conflict. If we risk fighting amongst ourselves we are open to attack from our numerous enemies.

The Volturi have been successful because we have kept the main hold of power within the three of us and by extension to a lesser degree our wives. Aro is the best at taking others off-guard, and with his gift and charismatic personality he works best at being our spokesperson. We've developed layers of defenses and ruses over the long years to make us appear as something less outwardly manipulative and knowledgeable than we actually are. If only the three of us know of something, then a spy in our court will never achieve anything of use against us.

Athenodora's voice has dropped slightly in worry after Aro's statement. "They have not been attacked, have they Aro?" she questions, worried for her mate. I can hear Sulpicia grab the other woman's hand in comfort as Aro angles himself towards his sister-in-law.

"Of course not, darling," he quickly reassures knowing that Athenodora's worry for Caius would overpower any rational thought in her mind. "Caius would have been complaining to me himself if that were the case. We shall know more when he finally arrives, it should not be long now."

Indeed it's not much later that I can start to hear the commotion of Caius' return. He's growling and snapping about as usual before he finally enters through the main doors. Finally opening my eyes I watch with no small amount of envy as he immediately greets Athenodora, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her soundly before she could do much more than stand and step in his direction.

There is still worry etched on Athenodora's face when they pull apart a minute or so later and he caresses her cheek before huffing in a disgruntled fashion. "I am fine Beloved, just aggravated," he assures her before stalking to his throne and throwing himself into it. Athenodora follows him hitching one hip on the arm of his chair.

"Are you going to keep us in suspense, brother?" Aro asks after a moment pulling a reluctant Caius' attention away from the lock of Athenodora's hair he'd been fingering. Caius sighs as though the weight of the world rests on his shoulders before turning towards us. He then quickly summarizes the situation. The business meeting, the strange girl that knows our kind with the broken mind, the mention of newborns and her scar. How Jane's power does not affect her. To say it is a whirlwind of information in a unique context would be an understatement. We haven't had anything as intriguing as this since Caius' work to end the Children of the Moon a couple centuries ago. Aro looks almost giddy with excitement.

"Let me see Caius," he pretty much demands flinging a hand towards my brother. Then he pauses and retracts his hand "No, nevermind, I want to meet the girl first and form my own first impressions. Where is she? Where have you stashed her brother?" he questions, almost bouncing in his enthusiasm. There was nothing Aro liked more than a mystery and this girl was providing him with a large one thus far. Not to mention that she seemed to have thrown Caius for a loop which was easier said than done.

Caius looks at Aro with exasperation, seemingly emotionally tired already of so much excitement and fuss. "I had the twins set her up in the human quarters beside the new secretary- Gianna or whatever her name is. We'll send someone to fetch the three of them."

Good to his word one of the guards slips out of the hall to inform the twins their presence is required. The joys of initiative, we lords don't even have to say anything. It's as though our words and directives are meaningless breathes of air meant to merely take up time. Oh wait, they are.

The other members of the team that Caius took with him to the Americas start to trickle in and join the rest of the guard. My face maintains my look of utter and complete boredom as I watch Athenodora and Caius quietly interact again. They aren't nearly as blatant as Aro and Sulpicia but there is a quiet affection between them that is soothing to witness.

I sink into my bond-sight for a moment, just enjoying the glow of their fully formed and healthy mating bond. The gold encompasses their bodies completely merging seamlessly together where they overlap like a living entity. It softly moves in currents between the two of them flickers of white, and other colours with their assortment of meanings moving in greeting from one vampire to the other. Aro's and Sulpicia's bond is similar in intensity, but like all bonds has slight differences. The point of the matter is though that both of my brothers are extremely blessed to be able to have such good matches for mates. My bond to Didyme, may she rest in peace, was not half as intense as either of my siblings and I have mourned her for over a millennia now.

In my perusal of Caius something catches my eye and I shift slightly to get a closer look. Blocking out the glow of their mating bond I start to look over his other bonds, realizing something is amiss from when the last time I witnessed them. Slowly so as to not bypass anything of importance I categorize each of his existing relationships. Most are ambiguous at best for Caius cares little for people outside the family but even a neutral or negative relationship is still a relationship. It takes time but eventually I seem to find the inconsistency. It is a small bond- fragile and thin as though made from the wispiest of spider webs. At times it seems to not even exist as though it is only present at slight angles like an illusion. It doesn't seem to have any precise colour indicating exactly what sort of bond that it is, but I can tell it is not a negative one. I decide since it does not seem to be doing him any harm to leave the matter be for now, but stocking up some questions for Caius later. I am actually curious to find where this relationship has sprung from, and to whom.

I can hear the light quick footsteps of the twins and the soft wet thudding of a human heart approach the main entrance to the room before they enter. Jane of course throws both doors wide with more pomp and circumstance than is needed, and I close my eyes in resigned disgust. Sometimes that little girl is more trouble than she's worth.

The smell of the human takes my notice next and I draw in a full breath of her scent analyzing it. She smells sweet like fruit and flowers with a clean hint that reminds me of the Mediterranean Sea in the summers of my youth. It is finally Aro's voice that brings me from my contemplations, as he is teasing Caius, much to my other brother's annoyance.

"Caius, I know we have discussed this in the past, but I feel I must remind you. If you feel the need to play with humans you must be gentle else they'll break! Look at the rough shape the poor girl is in. Tsk tsk," he scolds playfully. Caius merely grunts at him and I open my eyes once more to see him scowling at Aro.

Finally I turn to see the girl that has caused such commotion and when my eyes land upon her my entire world freezes. Aro's welcoming speech to her fades so that though I may be processing his words on some level it is merely an annoyance.

The girl before me is a small thing, much too thin and though around average height for a woman of her age possibly 5'5, I know she would seem quite small compared to my own height. She looks to be in her late teens, early twenties and her skin is so pale you can see the veins clearly through her skin. Her hair lays in lumped tangles around her head but it is long and the colour of mahogany. I can make out individual strands of caramel, auburn, even black which offsets her fair complexion well. She has long legs and from what I can see beneath her tattered clothing curves though not voluptuous by any means. The thing that grabs me though is her eyes. Chocolate brown and huge, rimmed with long lashes; there is a deep-set loneliness and pain within them as though she had seen far too much and lived far too little for her scant years.

The instant she meets my eyes I could literally see and _feel_ our bond form, it rushes outward from my chest in a golden iridescent wave to meet the most tentative tendril of pearl extending from her own torso. As I watch I notice that her side of the bond has to struggle to breakthrough the ripped and savaged bonds she already holds. The intensity of despair from those ravaged bonds is on par of which I have only witnessed in centuries old vampires or from humans in the thick of war.

I stand up to approach her, brushing my fingers against Aro's as I pass by. After so many years ruling together such gestures happen naturally, which in most cases is highly beneficial as we need no thought to accomplish the communication between us- here those many years serve their purpose as my mind most certainly is not on Aro at the moment. In the periphery I see Aro start his mouth parted slightly in surprise for a second, it appears I've interrupted his speech. He'll accommodate.

The girl seems even more frightened if that were possible as I get slowly closer, the trembles shaking her form increasing though she held herself stiff in an attempt to control them. Unwilling to scare her further I do something that causes every vampire in the room to gasp in surprise or stare incredulously. I drop to one knee before her just as our bonds touch and seemingly connect, weaving around one another before entwining completely.

And for the first time in over one thousand years, I feel hope.

BPOV

One of the Volturi Lords has just knelt before me as though I were a lady whose favour his knight is trying win. Or, as though he's attempting to convince a startled cat out from under a bed. I not really sure which despite the huge differences between those two scenarios. He's looking directly at me and for the life of me I have no clue how I'm supposed to react to this. In all my wild and macabre imaginings of what was going to occur to me once I'd reached Volterra, this was not even within the same universe of possibility. How in the world am I supposed to react?

Looking to the other two thirds of the Volturi powerhouses the one with long black hair (either Aro or Marcus, I'm not sure, whichever is not the one knelt before me) is gaping slightly, his arm restraining and conveying some unheard message to Caius who looks equally as taken aback. The guards are murmuring in a soft hush to one another and you can almost feel the surprise and tension in the room. I quickly look back at the man before me and quite honestly part of me is terrified.

He's huge, much larger up close than what he had seemed to be when he still sat upon his throne. It was almost as if when he seemed to grow in size and presence the moment he met my eyes. He has broad shoulders and must be around six and a half feet in height. I could tell that he was a warrior or at least did hard labour during his human lifetime due to his musculature beneath his velvet robes. However, I really can't picture him doing grunt work in my mind, he holds too much of an edge of barely constrained power and leadership to do such. It looks as though he was changed in his early to mid-thirties, though with how old these vampires are it is hard to tell for certain. He has the same parchment-soft looking skin that Caius has with similar milky blood red eyes. He isn't pretty as what seems to be the popular look for males these days, but instead he has handsome qualities. The set of his jaw and the straight line of his nose move something in me that Edward never had. He has slightly wavy rich brown mid-length hair that brushes his shoulders and he's staring at me as though he is seeing the arrival of God. The intensity of it sets me ill at ease and I step back once, though another part of me screams in protest. After what seems to be an eternity he speaks to me.

"Dear one, I am Marcus Volturi of Volterra. I know the last day or so has been exceedingly difficult for you, but I swear to you on my honour as a lord among vampires that nothing more will harm you here."

The gasps I hear are even louder than before, and the two woman sitting with Caius and, who by process of elimination, must be Aro, actually look faint. Caius' eyes are bulging slightly accompanying his look of horror and Aro's face has lost all his emotions altogether. It is now of course that my brain to mouth filter fails and the first thing that pops to mind slips out past my lips in reply.

"You vampires have the most strange and confusing kidnapping plots. But, umm, thanks I guess."

There seems to be a full and heavy pause before Marcus' lips twitch and then morph into the most breathtaking smile. I can even feel the mirth in his eyes as he looks at me and my stomach tightens as he chuckles lowly.

"It has indeed been confusing, and you are most welcome. What is your name dearest?" he questions me calmly, as though it is an everyday occurrence to have such conversations between vampires and humans. The kindness in his tone however eases something in me and I can feel my shaking subside a bit.

"Oh, Bella. What I mean is my name is Isabella Marie Swan, but I go by Bella," I stammer in reply. He smiles slightly again and I tentatively smile back.

"Your name suits you, Bella," he states before holding out his hand to me. He moves slowly as though not to make any sudden movements that would send me skittering off to places unknown.

"Come, we will get you settled in and then hopefully we shall figure out what exactly is going on in this mess, shall we?"

I hesitate for a moment, unerringly brought back to the last vampires I trusted but something in me is telling me to grab his hand. He kneels there as though he would wait forever for me to gain my courage to take his hand in mine and it is that calm assurance and fortitude the pushes me to take the steps needed to close the gap between us. As I place my hand in his I once again realize how much larger he is than me, my own thin fingers dwarfed by his own cold ones as he gently holds them. With much more grace than is humanly possible- let alone within my realm of capabilities- he stands and proceeds to tuck my hand to rest around his elbow and on his forearm, his opposite hand lightly resting reassuringly on my fingers.

Wondering how I managed to get into this situation and when exactly he had gotten so close I see him nod purposefully towards Aro and Caius before gently tugging me to start walking with him. He keeps his pace slow and comfortable for me, (unlike what I had experienced with the twins earlier) and escorts me out a side door from the room. We silently weave through corridors, and the scenery changes from utilitarian to a more luxurious homey feel, if a castle can feel homey.

We bypass a portrait which draws my eye for a moment, the shock of golden blonde hair of one Carlisle Cullen causes me to stumble as I rapidly look away from the painting. Before I can even start to catch myself Marcus catches my weight with the arm he is holding as his other hand steadies me at my waist. He continues to hold me while I get my feet firmly beneath myself again, quietly questioning me.

"Are you well, Bella?" Mentally I snort at this. I haven't been anywhere close to the definition of well for years, though I know that isn't what he meant.

"I'm fine, thank-you Marcus. I'm just really clumsy, I can trip over just about anything, including air."

I glance up into his milky-red eyes and smile a little. He nods in reply but I can see that he doesn't fully believe me. Smart Vampire.

Releasing me, but keeping my arm firmly in his grasp, we resume walking.

"We are almost to my study," he says, "It is a significantly more comfortable setting, especially for a human such as yourself. When we arrive please make yourself at home."

I nod silently but know I won't. From what all I've learned of vampires you don't poke around in their things. On top of this the Volturi seem very secretive to me, sitting in one place not touching anything really is my best route I think, though I do appreciate how accommodating he is being. Call me paranoid, but I somehow doubt that his hospitality is normal.

Finally we reach a large intricately carved wooden door. The frame has leaves and small animals detailed and the hinges are elaborate wrought iron which sprawl out over the old wood. Marcus easily opens the no doubt heavy door and gestures for me to enter first. Taking a couple steps forwards I am hit with one of my favourite smells in the world- old books. Going further in I notice that most of the lower portion of the walls are covered with bookshelves filled to bursting. The ceiling is quite high, leaving two beautifully intricate windows enough room to let natural light in from overhead on the left. Along the back wall is a small fireplace with a large wooden desk and chair off to the right of it. There are assorted chairs and one small loveseat in the room, and though the fabrics on the different chairs are not alike they seem to go together well. The desk has some orderly stacks of paper on it along with assorted writing instruments but nothing else. All in all the room is cosy but surprisingly lacking any personal touches.

"Sit wherever you like, dearest," Marcus comments from behind me reminding me that I am now blocking the doorway. I approach a lovely velvet upholstered chair by the barren fireplace and sit there. It is surprisingly plush and I get the urge to slip my shoes off and curl into it, though I resist. Marcus chooses the chair beside me and sinks into it, his eyes never leaving me for a moment. Uncomfortable I comment on the first thing that comes to mind.

"I love the smell of old books."

Marcus does this little half-smile, as though his face is unused to such a movement before he responds. "I too appreciate the smell. It is such a shame that it is no longer common to bind the pages in leather as it adds something substantial to a tome I believe."

I find myself genuinely smiling for the first time in months, feeling it light up my face as I nod in return. "I agree," I reply automatically, "Leather covers seem to give the words more impact or potential. As though they too will stand the test of time and wear that the leather itself can endure." Marcus smiles a little broader in response to my unexpected enthusiasm.

"Do you read often, Bella?" he asks leaning towards me resting his elbows on his knees.

"Whenever I get the time. I've not been able to as much lately, but reading is one of my escapes. No matter what is going on in my life I can immerse myself in the pages of a novel and nothing else is important." I pause for a moment then realize I don't know what else to say. I suddenly realize how red his eyes are as he watches me so intently and know exactly what it is that makes them such a deep crimson. A part of me wonders whether or not my blood would make that red even more vibrant.

He seems to sense my sudden hesistance, as he leans back, weaving his fingers together nonchalantly. "My brothers will be along shortly, but I do not want you to worry. My oath is true, you will not be harmed here." He pauses a moment before looking towards the door, "Here they are now."

**AN: Hello everyone! Firstly I'd like to say thank-you so much for your enthusiastic response to the first chapter of this story! 20 reviews is many more than I thought I was going to receive. I tried to answer any and all questions I received from you, but some of you left anonymous reviews (which is fine) and I can't respond to them directly with this system. Please feel free to ask any questions or leave any responses to the chapter for me. It gives me a little thrill every time I see a new review alert in my e-mail inbox. **

**As for the reviewer who mentioned my mixing up of my past and present tenses, I'm sorry! I've only ever written in third person, so switching to first has been difficult. I read over this chapter with even more scrutiny but I'm sure I've missed some words- pretend they're present tense please! I was originally going to write this in third person, but I went to write Bella and she came out in first insisting on staying that way with a tantrum of massive proportions when I tried to switch her. Aro then backed her up waving his hands all over the place stating that to truly appreciate him readers needed to feel his emotions and hear his thoughts. Needless to say I gave in.**

**I hope you enjoyed the introduction of Marcus. I want to clarify that he doesn't start out very dominant in nature as he is coming out of a millennia long mourning period as well as the fact he doesn't want to scare the living daylights out of Bella by coming on too strong. Not to mention that he is fairly mellow by nature as well if that makes sense. In charge, but quiet. Also, for those of you who I'm sure are wondering about Marcus' quite passionate response here- it will be explained further of course in coming chapters but part of it is that Marcus knows his own power extremely well. He is highly confident in his ability to interpret relationship bonds, and when the bond was completed he felt it to the very core of his being. Bella felt it too, you'll find coming up that she is more receptive to him than anyone else and less anxious around him, but as a human the bond has less of an immediate impact on her than it does on Marcus.**

**Just one last thing, then I'll let you go I promise! Updates will likely be a bit slow over the next month and a half. It's my last semester of my bachelor's of science degree at University and I've got papers, projects and exams pretty much constant from here until the end (mid-april), so please bare with me! I'm hoping to still update (and I'm certainly still writing) but things will be slow. Thanks again!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Back when Bella and Marcus left the throne room**

CPOV

"Aro, what in Dante's seven hells just happened with Marcus?" Aro paused seemingly gathering his scattered thoughts before answering me.

"She's his mate, as soon as he saw her they instantly bonded. It was glorious. Even stronger initially than what he had with my sister near the end of her life."

I blink at him in disbelief. "Is it possible for a vampire to have two mates?" Sulpicia asked. I too wondered this as I cannot ever recall having heard even a hint of something such as this happening before- then I remembered exactly who my brother had bonded too.

"Aro we must stop this! She is broken! Not to mention what else has possibly occurred to her! There bonding will only end in disaster and Marcus may very well not survive a second loss of such devastating proportions."

My beautiful wife beside me gasped, her eyes welling slightly with venom that would never fall. "We can't lose him! Not after all this time! We were finally starting to see hints of interest again. Aro you must do something!" she exclaimed. I personally felt that Marcus had not gotten much better mentally at all, merely better at hiding his disinterest from us. It wasn't that he did not love us anymore it was instead that he found life without flavour or comfort. The stark realities of the world without a partner to share the burden with weighed him down, and he did not wish us to worry over him and to add to our own burdens. Though Marcus had been suicidal that first century and a bit after Didyme's passing, he did not wish to leave us now. He just couldn't be roused past apathetic mostly.

Sulpicia placed her hand on her husband's forearm adding to Athenodora's thought. "And we know nothing of this girl Aro. Nothing other than the trouble she's in. What could her intentions be?"

Aro raised his hand to stop the flow of comments and concerns. "We are making chaos out of nothing I believe. Firstly, Isabella did not willingly come to us, nor did she mean to interrupt Marcus' life. If anything Marcus' little display earlier showed that she is bewildered and possibly a little shy. It took her quite a few seconds to actually take his hand, and her facial expression and body language indicated that she was uncomfortable.

As for her instability and the issues concerning her, I will of course read the girl, but I greatly doubt that a small human girl has actually caused any of our kind to do anything. She likely got caught up with a group of rouges, and somehow miraculously survived it.

We must remember that we are blessed by her appearance. It may not seem it now, but from our brief glimpse of Marcus, already you can see the interest and life coming back to him. He has not been this enraptured in anything for over a millennia. Even if the girl is barely tolerable to us, for him I think we can put up with her presence. And, as it seems she is his mate, I greatly doubt she will have a personality so different than Marcus' that his own family can not abide her.

Of course we cannot change her yet, but hopefully with time, care and our family's attentions we can heal her mind. I will have Demetri hunt down a medical specialist or two to acquaint myself with and we will deal with this. Quite honestly simply being with Marcus who will accept her wholly should do a great deal of good- especially once she comes to trust him. We however must remember that she is now family. Caius if I express your apologies to the girl will you be graceful about it?"

I scowl at him in reply. "I may not like humans brother but even I do not look a gift horse in the mouth. If she can bring Marcus out of his shell at all she will be worth the trouble she brings. I do believe this is more complicated than you've made it seem, but if she is indeed our brothers mate than we will protect her until something proves otherwise or she fits like a true member of our family."

Aro nods in reply, smiling indulgently at me. I scowl harder in return at him. He quickly pecks Sulpicia on the lips before he stands. "Come Caius, I think we've given them enough time to get introduced to one another, now I wish to meet the girl," he exclaims taking steps towards the door, presumably on his way to Marcus' study. I sigh in slight exasperation, and drop a kiss to Athenodora's forehead before I follow after him. For some reason I do not see this going quite the way Aro thinks it will.

BPOV

The door to Marcus' study opens abruptly and in glides Aro brightly smiling, followed by a less enthusiastic slightly grumpy Caius. I can already feel my need for another dose of Xanax increase.

Generally, I try to limit my intake of the drug to when I need it. As the daughter of a police chief I know what the abuse of prescription pharmaceuticals and recreational drugs can do to a person. However, I do acknowledge that I am dependent on Xanax to function. I have an anxiety disorder, it is a fact of my life now, and dealing with three very powerful, very old human drinking vampires is not helping my anxiety levels. I can already feel the worry bubbling in my gut.

Aro comes over to me immediately, and I can help my instinctive reaction to shrink back into my chair a little at his approach. Thankfully he seems to ignore this and picks up my hand kissing my knuckles flamboyantly.

"My dear, Isabella, I am so pleased to finally make your acquaintance," he exudes to me keeping hold of my hand and patting it gently. A moment later when it seems that he has no intention of letting me have my limb back, Marcus growls his name from across the room. Aro doesn't respond to him but instead gives my palm a gentle squeeze before finally letting my captive hand go. I quickly bring it back to myself.

"Usually you see," Aro continues as though the entire little episode there didn't actually occur "I am the first to meet all new-comers to our humble abode but this time both my brothers have beaten me to the punch as you humans say. You are by far the most interesting guest we have received for a good couple centuries at least."

I blink at Aro for a moment not entirely sure how to respond to the bubbly personality of this vampire. For some reason I turn to Marcus, as if asking if his brother is serious; he nods reassuringly at me once and I turn back to face Aro. Bracing my courage I dig my nails into the pale of my hand slightly- not enough to break the skin but the slight pain helps me focus for some reason and anything that can help get me through this conversation is welcome at this point.

"It is nice to meet you as well, Aro, however I wasn't exactly planning on visiting." Aro is silent for the barest second before he responds seemingly less rambunctious now.

"No, I have no doubt that you were as taken aback as Caius was. Caius of course apologizes for his behaviour, however I am sure you see the seriousness of the situation?" he comments lightly. I'm not fooled by the tone, it is friendly but every word he says is utterly serious. I glance at Caius when Aro apologizes for him. There quite a portion of me that is disbelieving of his statement, just due to the way I have seen Caius thus far conduct himself. Marcus meanwhile is frowning and watching his blond brother intently as though upset by something in Aro's words.

Caius for his part doesn't look particularly consolatory however he does seem to be completely present for the conversation and he meets my eyes before nodding sharply in agreement with Aro's statement.

I pause for a moment before I reply, not yet sure how this conversation was going to go. "Yes, I know how serious my knowledge of your existence is, however technically I figured it out myself."

They all stare at me in disbelief and I feel an overwhelming need to defend myself as my anxiety continues to rise.

"I'm completely serious, I _did_ figure it out myself. The local Native American reservation near where I used to live has these legends about "cold ones" and honestly the coven wasn't all that great at blending in. Plus, I'm observant. Like, for example I'm guessing whatever your gift is didn't work on me did it? 'Cause you paused and then you wouldn't let go of my hand. And something has happened to change your minds about killing me, because there is no way you would all be so friendly to me otherwise, and it has to be something big because Caius isn't nearly as grumpy about waiting for me to die as I would expect him to be if you had decided you just needed to be nice to me until you get information. Plus I've never seen a vampire actually look like they might faint before as I did with the two women I saw earlier in the throne room.

And it's not like I want to know about vampires! If I could go back and ignore my curiosity I would, and you're going to get so mad, cause I'm crazy and paranoid but I _cannot_ talk about the original vampires I met because I swear their name is cursed 'cause every time I say it something awful happens and everyone else is already dead or not speaking to me and I wasn't able to pay my rent in time, and I'm sure I've lost my crappy waitressing job by now, and I don't even like Seattle but I basically got kicked out of the town I was in, and the only way everything could possibly get worse right now is if I started bleeding, and all the hungry vampires in the castle came and I fainted at the sight of my own blood. Oh and I'm pretty sure I'm having a panic attack-"

I finally manage to cut myself off, and quickly I put my head in my hands trying to focus on slowing my breathing as I realize I'm hyperventilating. I'm shaking pretty hard now and though I am a quiet person by nature the anxiety makes me skittish and I knew that these ancient vampires were going to want to know exactly what had happened to me. However, I literally _can't_ talk about it- so I just blurted all that mess out. At this point I'm not even sure what I just said- let alone if any of it made any sense. Honestly, I'm at the end of my rope. Ever since seeing Caius at the café it's been one thing after another or I've been unconscious.

I'm broken, and I know it, these vampires might as well know it too. I feel myself start to sob as my emotions leave my control and I'm gasping in breaths. I'm feeling light headed and ill as well, truly out of control. A part of me is ashamed at acting like this, especially in front of Marcus who was actually quite kind to me as well as the fact I enjoyed our conversation earlier- as awkward as it was for me at the time. Most of me however is too deeply in the throws of my hysteria to do much thinking.

Cool hands suddenly cup the nape of my neck ever so gently, thumbs resting along my jaw-line and arms brushing against mine as someone crouches in front of me. The coolness of his skin against mine feels soothing in the face of my rampant emotions.

"Isabella, can you hear me?" a deep calm voice that I vaguely identify as Marcus' asks me. I nod slightly in reply, unable to put together a more coherent answer. "You need to slow your breathing dearest, is there anything that I can do that will help you do that?"

It takes me a moment to decipher what it is he's asking and how to respond. Finally I struggle out between gasps "pills- bag." There is a rustle of clothing and the door opens then shuts again, though Marcus doesn't move from where he is before me.

"Bella, Caius has gone to retrieve your luggage. Until he returns I want you to try and relax for me my sweet. Are you still listening to me?" Marcus questions, and I nod slightly again. His voice is fairly calm- not angry, not overly concerned, not indifferent just deep and steady. That levelness is surprisingly helpful in this situation; not that the panic attack has gone away nor the various symptoms of it, just that instead of feeling like the world is ending and I'm about to drop into the pits of hell, I only feel as if I'm standing on the edge of a cliff slipping instead. The feeling like there is the likelihood of dying is still there but at least with the cliff there is the smallest smidgen of hope.

"Good," Marcus replies in response to my nod. "You have been through more than enough for today, you do not need to answer any of our questions, Bella. You are here now as a guest of the Volturi. I know you are confused, but everything will be explained to you in the coming days. There is no hurry, everything will keep for a while. You will be safe and provided for here. None in this castle would risk bringing down my displeasure upon their heads. It does not matter what you do or do not know of our species for the moment. Nothing else has any significance other than improving your health and wellbeing. I want you to focus on that. Do not question it, do not think up worst case scenarios, nothing but recuperating. Do you understand, my Bella?"

My sobs have subdued to whimpers by now, and I'm still shaking but I'm trying to pay attention to what this vampire is saying to me. A part of me wants to rebel against his words. I have been taken from my life without consent and I've dealt with everything by myself for years. I'm reminded by how badly the … vegetarians' screwed me over and that trusting another vampire coven seems like bad history repeating itself. However, I'm so tired. I'm tired of fighting to make a living, tired of constantly looking over my shoulder, tired of the grief and the pain and the panic attacks. So I nod a little again, and just accept his words. I figure that I'm in such a position that I can't do anything anyways, and it would be so blissful to not have to constantly be doing something to survive. To just let someone else deal with it, even if just for tonight.

Cold lips briefly caress my forehead accompanied by the slightly relieved tone of Marcus' soft praise "Good girl." Something in me pulses at that. My breath catches as my heart seizes for a moment. It's been so long since I've done anything at all that is deserving of even the smallest amount of praise, especially since _they_ left me.

"Isabella," Aro draws my attention to him and I jump having forgotten that he was there. I look up at the raven-haired lord over Marcus' shoulder. Marcus himself moves a little to make it easier to see his brother and though he keeps one hand on the back of my neck (I almost flinch as he removes his other at first) he takes one of my hands in his and I calm a little more. The anxiety is still running rampant in the background, but him touching me so gently is quite soothing on my heated blotchy tearstained skin.

"Caius will be here in a moment, I can hear him approaching now. Know that what Marcus says is truth. You are our guest, and you are unwell so it is our duty to provide for you while under our roof," Aro continues the most serious I've seen him yet. I nod a little again, still not yet up to speaking.

The wooden door thuds open allowing Caius entrance startling me a second time, and unable to suppress a small whimper. Marcus' fingers run over my trembling skin soothingly as Caius drops my dufflebag to the ground in front of Aro. I go to get up to open it but am gently but firmly stopped from standing by Marcus. It is Aro that speaks to me though.

"I think it would be unwise at the moment to stand Isabella. If you allow me permission I will retrieve the medication for you?" he asks, his eyes glancing at me to Marcus and back. I just want to get the damn pills at this point (screw etiquette!), so I merely nod again, a little haphazardly and faster than the ones before it, as if to communicate my urgency. Aro is suddenly kneeling by the bag quickly undoing the zipper.

"They sh-should be in the backpack insi-side," I stumble out. "I need two." I don't bother asking for water, I can take them dry, I just need to actually take them! Aro nods quickly and with delft hands retrieves the bottle scanning the prescription on the side briefly before opening it and tapping two out. I stretch out my hand and he is suddenly before me (yes I jumped again), dropping the Xanax into my palm. I bring my palm to my mouth and take them both at once so used to doing so that it is habit now. I swallow and just knowing that relief from my crushing anxiety is coming lets me sink back into my chair a bit. Marcus removes his hand at my neck and instead places it atop the hand of mine he already holds.

Aro takes a seat once more beside Caius (who is watching me warily) and turns towards me. "How long will it take for the medication to take effect, Isabella?" Aro questions calmly and matter-of-fact. He seems to have toned down his earlier exuberance, which is something I'm thankful for at the moment.

I finally give into the urge to kick off my shoes and pull my knees to my chest one arm wrapped around them, the other arm off to the side slightly letting Marcus continue to hold my hand on the armrest. I rest my chin on my knees, my shakes slowly settling down now that the pressure of questioning me seems to be off of me for the time being. "About fifteen minutes," I murmur softly. He nods and then they all just seem to wait. I close my eyes and try to focus on being as calm as I can be and the time passes by. I can feel the effect of the pills working and my brain slowly, reluctantly eases out of the frantic dance it had been engaged in. In concert my muscles slowly lose some of their tension and my breathing finally returns to normal, going in and out in the same rhythm as one of Marcus' thumbs over my knuckles.

"Are you feeling better, dearest?" Marcus asks me softly after some time has passed. I turn my face up so I can meet his eyes and pause taking an analysis of myself. The trembling has ceased and the tightness in my chest has gone down significantly. I nod a bit in reply meeting his eyes.

"I am glad. Do you think you will be steady enough to walk back to your room or would you prefer to be carried?" he asks. I blink once in thought. Though I feel comfortable with Marcus- surprisingly so- I have not been comfortable being close to others since Charlie died. Part of it I'm sure, is due to the fact I feel guilty for living while he rots in the ground, but another is that I am often overwhelmed by the ease at which any being can harm me the closer they are. In the presence of vampires who can move so fast you cannot see them, you would think this wouldn't matter, but like many of my other quirks they aren't exactly logical.

"I'll be alright to walk," I reply, standing up. Marcus merely nods and tucks the hand he still holds into his elbow again. Both Aro and Caius stand as well.

"Isabella, as Marcus said earlier try to rest and recuperate tonight. There shall be a guard posted outside your door so you need not worry about any vampire attacking you as you sleep. Also if you need anything speak to the guard and they will either arrange for you to receive it or they will contact one of us and we shall deal with the matter. Though we may not have had the best of first meetings, my dear, I am truly glad you are here," Aro stated sincerely.

He did indeed seem pleased and almost relieved at my presence so I merely nodded at him with a short "Thank-you." Both he and Caius said "Goodnight" to me before Marcus guides me along to the room I had been given earlier. He quickly points out the attached bathroom and extra linens if needed. By this point I am in a fog and Marcus definitely seems to realize it as he heads to the door leading from the room. I am fairly sure he wishes me a good sleep or rest or something to that affect, but I'm already out on the bed before he finishes.

**AN:** Hello, everyone! Thank-you again for all the lovely reviews and encouragements, it really does mean the world to me. Every time I see a notice for an alert in my e-mail I get excited! This chapter is short and I apologize for that, but I figured it was best to update with a short chapter than not update at all. I am SWAMPED with school work for my last semester before I graduate University and I'm dealing with some health issues too, so you'll have to excuse the shorter chapters and fewer updates until I'm finished, which should be in about a month. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and you can see a bit more of who all the characters are as people/vampires. If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Next time features a bit more about how Marcus is handling things on his end. Till next time, hope you're having a wonderful day/night/morning.


	4. Chapter 4

APOV

I stand here and watch as Marcus violently rips into the neck of his third human tonight and cannot really decide whether to be joyful that he's showing so much emotion or worried about how he's going to handle all that has suddenly been heaped upon him. As is my nature, I decide to be joyful, it's not like we really needed those extra gardeners anyways.

Really comparing to the wrath that Marcus has illustrated in the past- in particular against werewolves right after my sister was killed- he's dealing with this upheaval relatively well. I duck quickly to avoid getting hit by a flying arm, then resume my position off to the side by the door to the conservatory. Just from knowing my brother for so long, I can tell that most of his frustration and anger are due to the fact Isabella had her little breakdown and there was nothing he could fight against nor do really anything to stop it. That he needed to rely on some of my input carefully whispered to him below human hearing to be able to even calm his own mate.

That isn't the only reason of course. He's wondering about Didyme and their bond. He's furious that his new mate has obviously been injured by vampires in the past, and yet she can't seem to talk about it and so the ones that hurt her are likely still out there. He's upset with Caius for having bruised her back in the Americas when trying to get information. He's frustrated that I can't seem to read Isabella and thus we still have no clue what happened to her, most especially when she is obviously physically unwell in addition to her mental distress. Then there is that she seems so frightened of him still, when he already feels for her so strongly. He'll get himself under control soon. Really I was expecting his reaction to be exponentially worse than it currently is. Things must not have completely sunk in yet.

One major benefit of this small tantrum is the guards reactions. Most of them are significantly younger than us, and thus have always seen Marcus as the weak link in our trio, or have just known him through stories of him taking action in the past. For the last 1500 years or so he hasn't been motivated to violence more than a handful of times out of his depression and apathy. They are finally getting a glimpse for themselves the power Marcus holds and is willing to use. Felix had not moved quickly enough out of his way once Marcus returned from escorting Isabella to her room and thus lost an arm and his head. The expressions on the others faces was hilarious. Truly dropped jaws. Already Isabella's presence is creating such joy for me. Felix of course is currently having his head and limb reattached but I am thinking his cockiness may drop some.

Marcus, on my suggestion has assigned Heidi to stand guard outside Isabella's room tonight. I am hoping that Heidi's human allure will help her connect to the girl, or if it is as ineffective as my own gift than at least we shall be able to narrow down the likelihood as to what exactly is going on in Isabella's brain. Unlike Caius' original theory that she has somehow become neurologically damaged I am highly inclined to believe that it is a gift that has manifested itself in her even as a human. Caius for example is adamant that he does not have a gift, and no one outside the family has any clue he does either. This is because even as a human he was above and beyond any other in academia with patterns. He can pick out a pattern, beat, sequence, number discretion, or trend with little to no effort. This simply expanded with the increased powers and mental capabilities that came with his vampire mind. He says it is was merely a natural extension to do with the physiology of the vampire brain, I on the other hand have never witnessed neither myself nor through the life-long thoughts of others anything even remotely close to what he is capable of once he gets going. It is the reason why he deals with most of our investments and businesses as he's impossible to cheat and can predict economic growth in a sector before anyone else. In addition, Caius though not a strategist in war- Marcus and myself are much better than he at that particular skill- Caius picks up enemy attack patterns and likely camp placements as though they have left him messages with explicit details of their plans. This single skill alone, ignoring all his other talents, has reinforced Caius as an essential leader in the Volturi again and again over the centuries. Caius is often thought to be likely the easiest of the three of us to take down as his gift is not blatant- that thought makes me laugh. All three of us are deadly but together we are almost unstoppable. Vampires these days think that they are ruthless, they have it easy compared to when we were born into this life. One of the first things we did was take out our sire. If you came upon another vampire you killed them quickly and then got the hell out of dodge. True alliances were only between mates, and there was no negotiations or compromises. You won or you died.

Like Caius though, I think Isabella may have a latent talent, though exactly what said talent is we have yet to determine. If it is even half as useful as Caius' our family will be certainly blessed beyond belief. That she has even shown up and motivated Marcus thus far thrills me. I have longed for centuries for my brother to truly live again. I grieve for Didyme as well, but it changed Marcus. I am finally starting to see his caring nature and sarcastic wit come back- even if only through his thoughts.

"Marcus, brother," I call when I see him reaching for another of the screaming humans, he really has had more than enough, even if he feels he needs to indulge in order to be close to Isabella. Not that he does, our entire family's control is perfect after so many centuries.

Marcus pauses, covered in blood and still holding the arm of his next victim as they scream and cry and beg.

"Leave some for the guard, we need to discuss your mate and how we should approach the next few days in particular."

Marcus, still frozen takes a deep breath settling himself before he drops the being to the ground and comes towards me. He is drenched in blood and other things. I sigh.

"You've ruined one of those silk shirts that look so nice on you, brother," I comment as we leave. He in return simply raises an eyebrow at me. I cheekily wink in return and his lips twitch- before he simply would have ignored my antics. "Go bathe and we'll meet Caius, Athenodora and Sulpicia in my study. There is no need to fret as much as you are."

Marcus merely sighs, looking slightly pained before he turns towards his quarters. He may not believe me but I will secure him his mate. We will heal the girl, and get revenge for any harm caused to her. Nothing stands in the way of the wellbeing of my family.

MPOV

I am walking human slow towards Aro's study. My earlier frustration hasn't receded as far as I would prefer it to have for this coming meeting. A part of me is ecstatic at Bella being in my life. Another part of me is tearing up my mind with pain at the thought of what she has gone through and is still suffering from.

"Marcus," I hear called down the hall, "stop thinking morose thoughts and get in here so we can brainstorm on how to help the girl!" Athenodora states. I can hear them continue to speak to one another as I pick up my pace.

"What does 'brainstorm' even mean, Athenodora?" Sulpicia asks.

"I just saw you roll your eyes Caius, it totally is a real word. Don't make fun of my genius, it's not my fault you people are all behind the times. It's a system used in a group of throwing ideas around to come up with the best plan possible. Marcus believes me, don't you Marcus?" Athenodora says in a mock-offended tone, ending with a candy sweet plea to me. As I enter the door she is grinning in my direction, fluttering her golden lashes prettily. Aro is snickering, and Caius' lips are switching between a pout and a smile unable to decide in face of his playful wife.

Having no way to stand unaffected by her comradery I respond "Of course darling, without you our language never would have updated, and we all would be stuck only communicating with each other centuries ago. And since Aro is insane, Sulpicia the dear is too in love with Aro to leave him for long and Caius is a grouchy mute, I would have had only myself to talk to for eternity." There is silence for a moment as Aro and Sulpica gape at me before Athenodora doubles over laughing. For such a small lithe thing she can be quite loud. She falls to the side into Caius' shoulder holding herself around her stomach as her whole body shakes with her laughter.

"Damn straight, and none of you should forget that!" she exclaims eventually straightening up again. I close the semi-soundproof door, then sit down in the vacant chair amongst the circle of my family. Athenodora smugly grins at Caius who looks down at her with a small smile on his lips.

"You are absolutely correct, Beloved, how unthinking of me to doubt you. However shall I repay you for my error in judgment?" Caius asks her a teasing hint to his voice. Athenodora's smile turns slightly wicked and she smirks back at him.

"Ohhh, such an open ended offer. I'm not sure yet, I'll have to think of something suitably grand enough to rectify your error."

Caius keeps his upturned lips and gently kisses her forehead "Take your time, I'm sure your brilliant mind will come up with something." He comments before turning to me. Athenodora looks quite pleased with herself happily leaving her head on his shoulder as she too turns towards me.

"I will," she responds. Aro snickers again in the background before going to speak.

"I am not insane dear brother, I merely flaunt the line between insanity and reality. Besides I thought we were keeping my state of mind relatively quiet. We wouldn't want to frighten your Isabella away before she can become accustom to the more pleasing portions of our personalities as well." At this the light hearted feeling I had just gained vanished. In my minds eye I could she the fear on Bella's face as she worked herself up into her panic earlier.

"Oh brother, I apologize, you know none of us will intentionally frighten the girl," Aro states seriously and I look up to see him holding his wife's hand who is still frowning at him.

"Marcus," Sulpicia states drawing my attention to her "Aro filled us in on what occurred earlier. I think you handled the situation very well. Yes, Aro qued you in to someone needing to calm her breathing and keep her in the present but you are the one that completed the task. I know when I… well, when I was dealing with similar issues just having someone else to touch me kindly and ground me to reality made all the difference. Not quite as lost and without hope. I am a vampire, but human and vampire emotions do not differ so much I do not think."

I nodded to her appreciating the insight, especially knowing how difficult the topic was for her. Sulpicia had been sexually assaulted in the late 1370s by a male vampire serial rapist/murderer that had been on the loose in mainland Europe. It was only thanks to Athenodora's quick alerting of the guard when Sulpicia was late to meet her that allowed us to get to her before he succeeded in raping her. The guard had been actively searching for him previously of course, as he was attacking human women as well, not to mention the strife the angry mates and covens of the victims he destroyed causing chaos.

Needless to say my brothers and I enjoyed torturing the scum for a good 23 years before Sulpicia decided she wanted to kill him personally. Which she did ripping off his head in fury as the guard held him prone for her. She then kicked his body into the pyre so his head could watch and silently scream. Eventually she kicked that too into the fire to catch light.

It had taken her a good six months before she would even leave Aro's presence after the incident, the first half of which they rarely left their rooms. It took her much longer before her defensive reactions to quick movement settled, and Aro's already protective nature of her and Athenodora increased even more in intensity. The same held true for Caius and I. That is why I take a moment to pause before gently asking her my next question.

"Do you believe something similar has occurred to Bella?" I ask, my concern leaking through my tone. Sulpicia glances at Aro. He has been monitoring her thoughts throughout the entire conversation thus far, as they often do when together. I truly believe it is only Sulpicia's calm, serious nature that stabilizes Aro at times. Any other being would long ago have gotten completely fed up with their mate otherwise I think.

"There is no true way to know for sure either way, Marcus," Sulpicia states softly looking at me guiltily from having to even say as much. Aro picks up her train of thought from there.

"Something has certainly traumatized the girl, but I personally don't believe anything of that nature in particular, brother," he says, "She seemed alright in Caius' and the guards presence on the plane. Unsettled certainly and fearful, but not exceptionally wary of any of the males. I could be wrong of course but I do not believe so."

A small amount of relief inside me unfurls at this. Thank the gods for small mercies. If Aro does not think so after he has been in the minds of so many it is unlikely he would have missed any signs from her body language that indicate someone had forced themselves upon her.

"Well that's good then, one less thing to worry about hopefully," Athenodora comments. "How long until we get to meet her?" All of us go to answer her but she seems to realize we've taken her the wrong way as she continues quickly, "Not right away of course, she needs to settle in, not be bombarded with new faces, but once she is a bit more comfortable, speaking to other women especially if she has any questions after you inform her that you are her mate might be helpful for her. How does that work anyways Marcus, can she feel the bond at all while still human?"

"She feels it, to a lesser extent but it is there. Earlier when we were alone she relaxed slightly, was completely captivated and alive for a couple of moments."

"That will likely increase then as she recovers, Marcus," Aro commented. "It is probably related to the presence of others as well that has thus far had quite an impact on her behaviour, not to mention the stress of the last forty-eight hours. The more time you spend with her the better it shall be. While you attend to her needs I will look further into the medication she is taking and meet with a few of the psychiatrists that Demetri is currently tracking down for me. In the mean time, maybe you my love can see about having Marcus' chambers updated, most especially the bath and such. I doubt Marcus has any sort of idea about the modern convinces of plumbing and I know how much you enjoy decorating."

I nodded once in acceptance, as did Sulpicia. Though it would likely be some time before Bella would even contemplate the thought of moving into my quarters, it is best to be prepared.

Caius cleared his throat uncomfortably, leaning forward slightly. "I dislike bringing this up, but we need to know what Isabella meant about newborns. Everything else can remain untouched for a while- we'll eventually get some clue as to who was idiotic enough to have a human, even an observant one, catch on to what we are; but if there is are multiple newborns in the Americas savaging humans we need to know now. I'm not saying we need to push the girl for details, just have her confirm or deny their continued presence, an average number and a general location. We can send a portion of the guard from there to handle the matter."

I do not like the idea of distressing my mate any further than she already is, but I do understand the urgency of finding out about a possible newborn group that far north. "I shall agree to ask her tomorrow, however, if she cannot answer no one is to badger her. We will simply send a large convoy of the guard to Seattle and have them spread outward in a search from there for newborn activity. I will not risk further worsening Bella's condition with invasive questioning. I am particularly speaking to you Aro, as your gift cannot read her thoughts you will have to temper your curiosity until she willingly brings up the information herself. Am I clear?"

Aro nods in reply, his face serious. "Of course, Marcus. I want Isabella to feel at home here as well. Though it is difficult for me to leave the issue as I've never encountered anyone quite like her before, she is to be family, and I respect that. In some ways her mind has the same slip of Renata's. She may possess a mental shield but not a physical one, as Renata has a physical but not mental manifestation. Jane and I have both attempted our powers on her and there was no response, whereas you can clearly see her bonds, which is more physical in nature. I doubt Heidi's allure will work on her either."

Though interesting to me, I do not think my mate's abilities are something we should be focusing on at the moment. I want her to relax and recover, not work on latent powers she may or may not be able to control in time. Most likely Bella is mostly unaware of how her 'shield' works and will not feel that connection until after the change. As this is probably the case, it is of no immediate concern as she must be sound of mind before I can change her. I will not risk her carrying over paranoia and skittishness to be engrained in her for eternity.

"I do not want Jane in her vicinity, Aro. The girl is far too quick to use her little trick and she enjoys the power you have given her amongst the guard far too much. You need to take her in hand, you are her sire and Jane fancies herself irreplaceable. She has been so for decades and I have not said anything, but with Bella being human and in such a delicate state-"

Aro cuts me off. "I know Marcus, I admit I probably changed the girl too young. I will speak to her and keep a watch on her. Alec has always been such a steadying influence on her I have developed a tendency to ignore her quirks, but you are correct, we cannot risk her acting out with Isabella."

"Good." I state with a nod.

"That reminds me," Caius states drawing all of our attentions to him, "Someone needs to monitor how much Isabella is eating. Most humans eat at least twice a day correct?" he asks, looking at Athenodora for confirmation. She nods quickly to him in agreement.

"On the plane she consumed very little, and based on how long we had to follow her trail through Seattle and when we took her from the apartment she had not had the chance to eat before then. In addition she has not been given food tonight. I therefore can estimate that she has not eaten more than the small amount on the plane for over fifty hours. At this rate the girl will fade away, it is not as though she has any extra to lose," he explains gruffly.

Athenodora wrings her hands a few times in worry. "I shall speak to Gianna and have her arrange for meals for Bella. Maybe if the food is there and requires no effort she will eat more."

"Thank-you," I tell her, running a hand through my hair in agitation. Yet another concern to deal with, and I cannot help but wonder what could have possibly occurred to my Bella to cause such disequilibrium in her.

"I think you'll do fine Marcus," Sulpicia reassures me, picking up on agitation. "You are blessed with a fairly even temper naturally and so as long as you stay consistent with her you'll be more than sufficient gaining her trust. Just start as you mean to go and be honest. She may be young, ill and human but she likely feels lost enough as it is. If she can depend on your word then that will help greatly I think. You don't have to give her all the details or information but if she understands things circumstances will be less frightening."

"I completely agree with Sulpicia, Marcus," Athenodora pipes up,

"I also believe you should continue your endearments with her. I am not sure when you plan on telling her that she is your mate, but I think they will help settle her. They indicate that you care, and especially when Isabella sees that you only use them with her (and well Sulpicia and I), so that it isn't a common action of yours. I think it will help cement that you are serious about winning her affections, and of course, we shall all be here to help you whenever you need it, brother."

I absorb all this advice nodding my head in recognition. Their support and confidence in me brings a small spring of warmth to my chest that I have not felt in a long time. I am blessed to have two women in my life that are so willing to explain my mate's possible thought processes to me.

"There is one last topic I wish to speak about before we depart," I say looking intently at my family. "This may or may not be coincidence but Bella tripped after glancing at the portrait of the guests we had in the 1700s playing cards on the way to my study." I reach out my hand slightly and touch my fingers to Aro so that he can view what played out.

"I believe that she may have known one of them and it may lead us to the coven that revealed themselves to her. What do you think Aro?" I ask after pulling back my hand.

"Yes, something in the image caught her attention. From left to right there is Stephan Hamond, Eleazar Denali and his wife Carmen, Gilbert Stockroy, Carlisle Cullen and lastly Ceola Whitcombe. Do we know where each of them are, and if they are with covens?"

Sulpicia furrows her brow in thought for a moment before commenting. "Ceola Whitcombe is in France with her mate. She has never gotten on well enough with others to be part of a larger coven for very long. Also, from what I can remember of her she despised the new world so I doubt it was her."

"Stephan Hamond has been in China for the last century," Caius informs us next. "He's been steadily building an empire in business there and with such a large population to land density ratio, he has no need to leave the country for any reason."

"Last I knew Gilbert Stockroy was a nomad, so he very well could be in the Americas," Athenodora added. I had known none of the statuses of these vampires, bringing to my attention just how long I had neglected my duty to the Volturi and those around me, yet again.

"That leaves the Denalis which have been in North America for at least two centuries now, and the Cullens who have expanded in size quite a bit since Carlisle left us. Neither consume human blood so that could very well explain how young Isabella got close enough for an extended period of time to observe them. It has been a while but Carlisle's coven to my knowledge now includes himself and his wife Esme, his children Edward the mind reader, Rosalie and her mate Emmet who has enhanced strength, as well as two others. Alice who as you know is a seer and her mate Jasper Whitlock who according to rumor commanded newborns under Maria Diablo in the southern wars. Carlisle assured me that he follows their diet, and has mellowed with time, but let us hope that he is not involved in whatever incident with the newborns Isabella was involved in."

"I spoke to Carmen not too long past now, perhaps a year ago," Sulpicia said after a moment of silence when we all let the implications of Whitlock's possible involvement would lead to.

"She and Eleazar are still with the three Succubi. I don't know how she puts up with them day in and day out. Tanya and Irena are indifferent enough to security at times depending on their ability to shift all human thoughts to sex to remain unnoticed. Kate is not as bad, but she often goes along with her sisters. I can see Isabella possibly having interacted and come out worse for it with them."

"None of the three have mated yet?" Athenodora asks curiously. Sulpicia shook her head in response, "No, though Carmen wishes they would. The constant flow of males both vampire and human in and out of the house is near constant, with some women thrown in there for variety. She loves them like her own though, so she puts up with it. Aro if you allow a Succubus into the guard I will leave you and become a hermit in the mountains. All three of those wretches are constantly draping themselves on any available male, whether mated or not and hold themselves superior to everyone around them. Irina in particular always bothers me with her pettiness," Sulpicia states, her tone holding aggravation. It is quite uncommon for Sulpicia to let anything get to her, and quite obviously this is an issue that has bothered her for a while but she never put voice to.

She continues her rant, "It's not that I begrudge them their sexual liberties, but a little respect for mated couples and their own coven members would go a long way. Ethan and Portia's mating was almost destroyed by Tanya less than a century ago and it took them nearly fifty years to move onward from the incident. Little did they care though. Carmen informed me that Tanya had laughed about the fallout for weeks without care."

By this point, Sulpicia has riled herself up so much her eyes have welled with venom. Aro pulls his wife onto his lap by the hand he was holding, before wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"My Love, what is this?"

"I'm not upset I'm angry," she replies blinking rapidly to clear her sight. "I hate that my tendency to cry when mad carried over from my human life."

Aro stares at her for a moment and goes to reach for her hand again but she pulls it away. "I've dealt with disrespectful women before Aro, you know I have. I am calm again, you can release me," she says going to stand, Aro's grip doesn't budge.

"It is not just the disrespect that is bothering you and everyone in this room knows it, my Love. I know you can block certain glimpses of thought from me if you will it as I have taught you, but we have never had secrets before let us not start now. Tell me, Sulpicia, what about the succubi is it that causes you so much grief?"

Sulpicia's jaw clenches and she closes her eyes gathering herself. We all wait patiently for her. I am actually quite surprised that she is so emotional, it is not as though any of the women have visited here before and Sulpicia rarely travels without Aro, so she could not have met them more than once or twice.

"It seems very silly as I try and put it into words," Sulpicia starts slowly, eyes focused on Aro's knee so she doesn't have to look at any of our gazes.

"We would never ridicule you for your thoughts or worries, 'Cia, you know that," Athenodora states fiercely, slipping in the nickname that they only use in each others company as both their husbands dislike shortening their names. It denotes a certain level of familiarity, informality and closeness, yes but if it makes them happy I've never seen the issue with it, as is evidenced by my ready acceptance of calling my mate by her preferred 'Bella'. Personally I think Aro is worried that the guard will overhear and regard the women as somehow more approachable or expose the idea that they are as vulnerable as any other female vampire around here. I understand his concerns of course, and I certainly will not allow the guard to address Bella thus, but amongst our family I don't see the harm.

Sulpicia sighs slightly and Aro runs the fingers of one hand soothingly through her long brunette hair in silent encouragement. "Part of it is that I already feel quite connected to Isabella and the idea of her being verbally ripped to shreds by those women bothers me, if it is indeed their coven she became aware of us through. The other though…" she trails off wrapping a fist of fabric from Aro's sleeve in one hand.

"Please, my Love," Aro pleads to her softly, continuing to stroke her hair.

She looks at him for a moment before she nods. "Firstly, I want to stress that there has never been confirmation of this, and that most of what I've seen and heard may just be me overreacting. But, there have been rumors that the three of them would like an invite to court."

"Go on," Aro prompts knowing that this is not the point she is fretting over.

"Once here and settled, from what I can gather, the plan is to use their powers of seduction to cement their importance so to speak. I believe it is why they chose to stay with Eleazar due to his connections with you."

It takes less than a moment for this to sink in before Aro is urgently kissing his wife. Athenodora is anxiously looking at Caius who is shaking his head negatively in reassurance at her in response. He threads his fingers with hers their palms together before he kisses the back of her hand. Seeing them together makes me wish for morning to come sooner so I can once again see my Bella. If all goes well just to be able to speak with her as we did before about books would satisfy my loneliness and need to be near her.

"No, my wife," Aro gasps as he pulls back from Sulpicia, one hand clenching her hair while the other holds her to his chest as though letting go will cause her to vanish. "Even if they were to come and try they would fail." He cuts her off before she interjects.

"It is not possible Sulpicia, I swear to you. The only way a Succubus can seduce a vampire is if there is at least part of them that wishes it. Add to that that we are significantly older then them they simply do not have the magnitude of ability needed to twist our minds to suit their needs. I can acknowledge they are beautiful yes, but you my Love, you are the only creature on this earth that will ever have my attentions. That you feared that they would take me away from you saddens me greatly. No one will ever compare to you, Sulpicia," he finishes before kissing her once more.

You could see the relief hit her body as she relaxed into his hold. "Thank the gods they haven't attempted this before now," Athenodora states quietly, obviously shaken by the revelation of someone contemplating removing her mate from her.

Both Caius and I turn to her ignoring the slowly escalating passion between Aro and Sulpicia in the chair the occupy.

"What do you mean, Beloved?" Caius asks still holding his wife's hand as though cradling something precious.

Athenodora looks at me warily. "I mean that I wouldn't risk having a Succubus around a depressed vampire no matter how old. I am currently thanking the gods that Bella has come into your life Marcus for so many reasons. You have been depressed for so long, and your pain so intense that those who knew you could feel it. Already you are lighter, brother and that your bond to Isabella may also protect you from the schemes of the succubi is a great relief to me."

She reaches forward with her free hand and squeezes mine in affection before pulling back into Caius. I understand her fear, as more and more points out to me how disconnected I have been for the last millennium and a half. That I may have been more easily influenced is quite possible. I haven't been a saint these last thousand years, despite the fact I was named as one. When the opportunity presented itself I would indulge in the flesh of another, I just felt little for the act besides release and felt nothing towards the partner. Now though my thoughts would not stray from my little mate, and the will to live again and control the aspects of my life has increased in strength. I will not risk my second chance for anything, most especially not to the influence of what is basically an amped up slut. The thought merely makes my yearning to heal Bella increase, for she has already done so much for me and she doesn't even realize it.

Caius stands and pulls Athenodora upwards with him, and I join them as we exit the study. Aro takes a moment from ravishing his wife's mouth to promise to keep thinking of things to help Bella, and to close the door behind us.

"Take this time tonight Marcus, to come up with things to speak to Bella about. Maybe tell her a little about us, or ask her if she has any hobbies. I'll speak to Gianna in a couple of hours and together we'll figure out the food situation. We all support you brother, and I think with time we will be able to help her. From what little I've seen of her she is so beautiful. We will make her shine even moreso, I promise." Athenodora says kissing my cheek. Caius nods over her shoulder at me in agreement with his wife.

He then draws her back into his arms whispering in her ear, "But first, Beloved, I believe I need to prove to you how much more alluring you are to me than a mere succubus." I pretend not to have heard his words, a skill I have perfected over the years. Much like how I am ignoring the gasps of pleasure and chant of Aro's name coming from the study behind me.

Athenodora looks up at him a sweet coy smile crossing her lips, before turning and walking down the hall in the direction of their quarters. Caius follows, not pausing as he throws back over his shoulder "Try not to terrify the guards, brother," and soon they are gone. I decide that I need to do something productive and so head towards the guards as I know at least a few of them have laptops. I need information on the effect of trauma on human females.

BPOV- the next morning

As I sleepily blink at the ceiling I am silently amazed at how well I slept. I haven't completely made it through the night since, well, it's been years. The bed I'm on is comfortable and the duvet and sheets warm which is a nice change too. I'm fairly sure part of the reason I slept so well has to do with how exhausted I was, but also the fact that I've been sleeping in less than ideal conditions since I moved to Seattle.

It takes me until I push the covers off that I realize I must have been tucked in after I fell asleep. I'm still completely dressed- including shoes, but I know I didn't bother pulling the sheets back before I collapsed. Getting up I kick off my shoes and then I take my pills from my dufflebag. It's sitting near the dresser clueing me in that someone must have dropped it off too. I open one of the doors of the room and get a small closet, before trying the other one that leads to a small, but clean and serviceable bathroom. I take my pills by dunking my head under the facet and then wash my face with the soap provided. I notice a note and a key sitting on the counter as I go to dry myself off with a hand towel, and I quickly grab it before going back to the bed. The stone that makes up the floor of this castle is cold and there is a draft that my thinly socked feet are protesting quite strongly to.

Sitting with the duvet wrapped around me I thumb the key with interest. It is old fashioned. Intricate, heavy and obviously made of solid metal. The size of it is quite large too, not completely fitting into the palm of my hand. Curious I start to read the note.

_My Bella,_

_I hope your rest was peaceful and that you feel more at ease this morning. Please be assured that it was I that shifted you beneath the linens on the bed, not anyone you are not acquainted with. I locked the door behind me retrieved your belongings and then left this for you in the bathroom. The key is the only one other than the one I possess that locks your room. I swear that I will not use the spare, nor enter further without permission, but keep the second key in case of emergency only. _

_ As discussed there is a guard outside your door by the name of Heidi. She will provide you with whatever you wish upon request so please do so. She is not there to keep you to your rooms, merely for your protection and will follow you around the castle at your leisure if you wish to explore. She is known to get on well with most humans and has excellent control, dearest so please do not worry on that front. Once you start moving around someone will have a meal delivered to break your fast shortly after. If you feel well enough, I would greatly enjoy your company, and thought you may enjoy a tour of the castle or at least to the library, as you expressed your love of books to me earlier._

_ I will see you soon,_

_Marcus Volturi_

__**AN: **Hello everyone! This chapter just seemed to flow so you all are getting it way way early. Here's a hint- the Succubi are important. I'm a little stumped on how I want the chapter to go- I mean I have some things I want to cover, but not too clear on what order I want everything to happen in. As always thank-you so much for all the wonderful reviews. They really do make a difference to me, I actually write faster as they motivate me and allow me to come up with more ideas and plot twists. Anyways, hope this cheers up your Monday!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

BPOV

I was just finishing up the porridge with fruit and cream that I had been given for breakfast when a knock sounded at my door. Instinctually I freeze at the sudden interruption before I regain myself enough to call "One moment."

I jump off the bed and wipe my mouth with the napkin before I creep across the cold stone floor. I twist the lock on the door and pull the heavy solid wood towards me using my body weight to help. Once it is open enough for me to stick my head out I peek around the wood and am faced with a slight amused looking Marcus.

"Good morning, dearest," he greets calmly and I smile tentatively back. I have a feeling it is going to take me a while to get used to just how big this vampire is because every time I see him it takes me by surprise how small I am in comparison. Strangely, I only feel a slight bit of intimidation in his presence, with the main swirl of emotions instead being instead comforted by his large form. Like a shield, or a wall, or a rabid grizzly bear.

"Hi," I reply. Yep, I can just tell that brilliant responses are going to be plentiful today. I decide I had better speak some more or risk looking like an idiot.

"I got your note, um thank-you. I'd enjoy looking at the library, are you ready to go now, or?" I trail off, my fingers fumbling over the wood edge of the door betraying my nerves.

"Have you finished eating? I can wait my sweet, there is no rush," he replies.

The only one I can remember ever asking about my eating habits is Esme, and the sudden thought of her causes me a bubble of grief, frustration and anger to come up. I quickly push all thoughts of her aside and instead focus on the vampire in front of me.

"I'm finished, I just need to grab a couple things if we're going. Should I bring the dishes anywhere in particular…" I trail off as he shakes his head.

"Just leave them here outside your door, someone will take them away. Take as long as you need, I'll wait here for you," Marcus assures me and I quickly nod my head before pulling myself back into my room. For a second I lean against the door to shut it, but I decide it requires too much effort as the thing barely budges. Instead I flit around my room settling the breakfast things together and gathering a sweater, my room key, slipping on my shoes and moving some of my Xanax to a small container that I slip in the pocket of my worn and frayed jeans.

Finished I go to squeeze out to opening of the door when the entire thing moves back as though it was made of feathers. Looking up I see Marcus' large hand is holding the door open for me, his body angled off to the side slightly to allow me room to maneuver myself out.

Blushing I move out of the doorway and into the hall, letting Marcus close the door behind me.

"I hadn't realized how heavy the doors would be for you, Bella," Marcus comments as I fumble through locking the door. Once I succeed (amazingly on the first try) I stick the huge key in my sweater pocket and begin to walk the way Marcus is guiding me, his hand hovering over my mid-back.

I blush deeper at his comment, glancing up to see him looking down intensely at me. "I'm sure for most people, they'd be fine," I say trying to assure my host of my accommodations. "I've just not been well for a while so I'm not as physically capable as I should be," I state sheepishly.

"I am sure that is part of it, but the fact that all the doors are solid oak and thus weigh about as much as you do, dearest, likely accounts for your difficulties too."

"I know I'm currently underweight but I am of average height for adult females in America; it's not my fault you're huge in comparison."

Marcus laughs warmly, his red eyes cheerful. "That's alright, dearest, I will open doors for you."

I smile up at him, surprisingly at ease with this vampire in a way I wasn't with…them. Unlike with them, I don't feel like I'm being judged and found lacking all the time with Marcus thus far. That I can say what is on my mind and not be ridiculed for it.

I teasingly say "I guess chivalry isn't dead after all."

Marcus' face takes on a mock serious look, "I assure you dearest, I am dead and have been for millennia, though I too like to think my manners are not."

It takes me a moment but I burst out into giggles. Something about that statement strikes me as hilarious and it feels so good to laugh. I cover my mouth with my hands, trying to subdue my laughter but I don't succeed as Marcus joins me chuckling slightly, his eyes light with mirth. After a moment he reaches out with his hand and I freeze, not worried surprisingly, but cautious due to ingrained instincts.

Marcus slowly brushes the backs of his knuckles affectionately against my cheek. "It cheers me immensely to see you happy, dearest," he says.

I swallow hard unsure how to reply to that statement. It has taken me until now to completely clue into how affectionate this ancient vampire is being towards me, and that affection utterly confuses me.

"Please don't take this the wrong way," I begin quietly, "but why do you care about my happiness? Or wellbeing? I'm just a human girl with an anxiety disorder, and you're a millennia old vampire. Your actions make no sense."

Marcus was quiet for a moment as we continued walking. "I will completely explain, in a moment Bella. We have arrived at the library, let us find a place to sit first, shall we?" he asks opening one of the two wooden panels of the double door before us. Just like the door to his study this one is again solid wood with metal details, exquisitely decorated with books, songbirds and vines. I nod in acceptance, and mumble a 'thank-you' as he holds the door for me.

The library is everything I always dreamed a library could be. It is two stories high with huge windows, and white marble with black vein floors. Stone columns supported the arched ceilings and there seems to be an endless amount of intricate wooden bookcases. Directly by the entrance is a large open area with sturdy wooden tables and similar padded chairs. Marcus leads me past the entrance and open area to a smaller alcove that is partway into the massive library. It is a cozier area with a fireplace, two large wing-backed chairs and matching side tables.

We both sit and Marcus turns to me from his chair. "Are you aware of my gift, Bella?" Marcus questions. I shake my head no. I vaguely recall mention of the fact that the majority of the Volturi are gifted but beyond that I have no knowledge of the Volturi other than they are sometimes patrons of the arts and are pretty much the ruling class of vampires. Oh and that they are all about keeping the humans oblivious.

"I have something that we've named bond-sight. Essentially I see the physical manifestation of the emotions, loyalties and morals that bind people together, or cause them to despise one another. When I choose, I see each individuals core, something like an aura or soul- the thing that fundamentally makes them who they are; a combination of their personality, moral code, upbringing, culture, religious beliefs, etc. In many ways it is like a multi-coloured storm always moving, ebbing and flowing around a person with cords or strings, their bonds, that radiate outward. It is a little more complex than that as the bonds themselves are prone to movement and emotions cause changes but that is the simplified version, do you understand thus far?" Marcus asks patiently. I nod my head in confirmation, utterly captivated by the insights of his gift. The… well _they,_ never took the time to completely describe the sensations and intricacies of their gifts so this look into Marcus' has completely grabbed my attention.

"Very good," Marcus affirms before continuing, "Each colour has meaning and the thickness of a bond usually correlates with the intensity of connection between the two individuals. In most cases, when two individuals meet, whether they be human or vampire, an very thin sort of neutral brown or grey acquaintance bond forms and grows from there, either negatively, positively or if they only meet the once, disappears all together. Some bonds are instantaneous in intensity and colour though. For instance, a mother with her newborn infant is often strong and vibrant, clicking into place. Another less common occurrence is when two meet and they just seem to get along perfectly. Everything seems to 'click' and they immediately are fond of one another. They are often referred to as kindred spirits. Their bond starts much stronger than an acquaintance bond and only continues to strengthen with time.

"In vampires this is quite rare but it does happen on occasion, and in addition on a broader scope than seen in humans alone. For example, my brothers and I are not biologically related, which is quite evident when you compare Caius to either Aro or myself."

I giggle slightly at this, Caius' distinctly white blond hair really does stand-out between the other two. Marcus smiles slightly before he continues.

"However upon our meeting, bonds sprang into place; ones of trust and brotherly affection between us, a pure coincidence that all three of us were turned among others by the same sire. We knew immediately that we could tentatively trust one another and over time the intensity as with most bonds grew into a solid familial bond between the three of us. Later, when Caius met Athenodora, a lesser bond immediately sprang from Aro and myself to her accepting her into the family as we met her for the first time, in due course as she is Caius' mate."

"That's neat, so in a way the bonds can provide you with family?" I ask.

"If the vampire wishes to accept the family, yes. Most bonds start much frailer than what was foraged between my brothers and I, and so many ignore the bond or are ignorant of it and miss the opportunity completely. Bonds are living in a way. If the vampire nurtures the relationship, the bond will grow in intensity, but if they decide not to do so, for whatever reason, the bond will fade. In addition, some possible family members are not as good of matches as others. Much like getting a conflicting sibling versus one who you spend time with. It is why you do not hear of many large covens, as good matches with multiple members involved gets complicated quickly and it is almost impossible to satisfy everyone equally. Our family is extremely blessed in that regard."

"I understand," I say contemplating all of this new information and trying to take it into perspective. "That is really interesting, but I admit I'm a bit confused as to why you as a whole are so accepting of me. I am assuming bonds are at work somehow, but I haven't the slightest clue how exactly." Marcus smiles again, not dissuaded by me returning to my earlier question.

"That is because I haven't explained about mating bonds, dearest. I would not be surprised if once you have all the information you come to the conclusion on your own, but never mind. Mating bonds are the only, what I would call solid bond, though familial ones can come very close over time. They are solid in that they are nearly unchangeable and do not diminish over time or through action. Vampire mates are thought by many to be the perfect other half of oneself through which to ease the stress of the years of eternity. They make a vampire whole, and complement them in a way that seems uncanny. From the moment a vampire meets their mate their cores will reach out and bond them irreversibly together, entwining the two completely. Mating bonds are the only ones that are metallic in base colour, though I have seen iridescence and a soft glowing as well. Unlike with other bonds a vampire immediately knows that they have seen their mate, and furthermore subconsciously holds vast amounts of affection towards them." Marcus is now looking at me as though he is waiting for me to realize something. Putting all the pieces together again I look at him wide-eyed.

"Someone has mated with _me_?" I ask incredulously. Who is the poor bastard that got stuck with me? I am suddenly feeling as though I've been pushed in the deep end of an icy pool. I think about _him_ and how he promised me he'd never leave before he shattered that without regard.

Marcus grabs my hands and I look up to see that he has moved his chair to face me directly while I was in my fog. "Bella, Bella dearest, do you need me to get your medication?" he asks trying to drag my attention to him. I think for a moment before I shake my head no. A part of me is panicking but the Xanax from my morning dose is still going strong so I decide I don't need any more. At least not yet.

"Just give me a moment," I ask trying to sort the myriad of questions shooting through my brain into some sort of order. Finally I blurt out the most pressing of them staring at the vampire across from me.

"Who?"

Marcus chuckles slightly looking at me with fond amusement. "Me, Bella."

I pause for a moment then my brain to mouth filter fails again and I ask "Really?"

Marcus laughs a little louder this time. "I am not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult, dearest."

Understanding just how that came across I blush heavily feeling my cheeks fill with blood. "No, I.. I didn't mean it like that. It's just your so kind to me and together and perfect and I don't see how you ended up with _me_," I ramble out averting my eyes. One of his hands leaves mine and gently but firmly tilts my face back towards him.

"Do not say such things about yourself. We have mated and that means that you make me complete. We bring out the best in one another, something that no other being on this planet can do. Before you came I was apathetic and morose for over one thousand five hundred years after the death of my wife Didyme. You're mere presence has brought joy, and laughter and colour to my world once more where I feared there never would be again. Dearest, you are not the only one with dark things in their past, and I swear to you I will help you through them, but do not debase yourself, so."

I feel tears well up in my eyes not really knowing which emotion exactly was causing me to cry. The hope that was tentatively blooming, the dread I would somehow fail his expectations, the fear that this was a situation exactly the same as what occurred with _them, _the slight jealousy that he had been married once, the wonder that this man could eventually love _me_.

"Do not weep, dearest. I understand that this is much to take in, but we will work everything out, I swear it."

I clench my hands around the one still holding mine in my lap, holding onto it as though it is the only anchor for me in the storm of my rampant emotions.

"I.." I start then swallow and try again, "The coven that I knew, that I found out about the existence of vampires from… there was a male. He swore to me he would never leave me, I thought I loved him. The entire group of them insisted we were meant for one another. But he tired of me. Took me on a walk from my house into the woods knowing I would follow him and said that he and the coven where leaving. That I wasn't worth their time, wasn't good enough or smart enough or interesting enough or something. That I wasn't to come with them. I…I had been willing to give up everything I knew and loved for them. I was shocked and went to chase after him as I'm sure he must have heard, and I got lost in the woods. It poured and I was almost hypothermic when they found me. Marcus, I.. I can't go through something like that again. Especially with the other events that followed. How was I supposed to be with him according to them when-"

Marcus cuts me off, his thumb soothingly stroking my knuckles his other hand joining it soon after cupping my hands in his palms.

"Hush, my Isabella. Try not to work yourself up. Thank-you for telling me of your experience, I realize it must be extremely difficult to trust after an event like that, dearest. Rest assured that the coven of which you speak was obviously flawed in their logic on many points. Vampire are never to introduce a human into our world without changing them or feeding from them. That is the law, and the one which the Volturi enforce, and they have quite obviously broken it.

Secondly, in my long life I have never heard of two vampires mating with the same mate, let alone a human one at that. It sounds to me as though this male used you to suit his whims and the rest of the coven went along with it, as I am irrefutably your mate as you are mine.

Thirdly, there is nothing wrong with you so fundamentally that would give these vampires cause of any sort to leave you. When I look at you in bond-sight there is nothing dark about you my sweet. The dark bits are only the wounds that they have caused you and with time they will fade.

I will prove to you that you can trust me, Bella. I will wait for you and court you slowly. Over time you will see that you can lean on me, dearest. Unlike many young vampires my vows have meaning, and I will not break my word to you. All I ask is that you be open to the idea of being mine."

Without thought I shoot forward and lock my arms around his neck, hugging Marcus for all that I am. His words are like a balm, soothing me slightly in the face of all of my shadowy past. I am not healed- not even close to it- but for the first time since _their_ absence I feel soothed. Marcus tucks my head beneath his chin before wrapping his long arms around me. He holds me tightly to his chest, one hand soothingly petting my hair, the other anchored at my waist. We just sit there in silence for a while holding one another, and I feel so incredibly safe in his arms it almost makes me breathless.

"I don't know what to say," I finally reply to him, murmuring against the velvet of his robe.

"There is nothing you need to say, dearest, your actions more than speak for you," he says quietly. I nod against him before finally pushing back more fully onto my feet and away from him. He instantly releases me, holding my arm steady while I regain my balance and sit into my own chair once more.

After I am situated Marcus looks at me for a moment in thought before speaking what is obviously on his mind. "My sweet, there is something I must ask you, though if you do not feel as though you can handle the discussion I want you to tell me so and we can drop it for now. Will you do that for me?"

Instantly I am on guard worried that there is something else negative to do with the mating bond between us.

Marcus must have sensed this as he goes on to reassure me saying "It involves a different issue all together from our mate-bond, my sweet, and as I said if you are too overwhelmed from this morning I will leave it."

I nod my head. "It's best if you ask me now, otherwise I'll just worry about it," I reply my nerves still tight.

"Very well. Caius mentioned that during the panic attack he witnessed that you mentioned newborns." My breathing speeds up and Marcus grasps my hands once more.

"All we wish to know is if they were still in the area when you left and approximately how many of them there were, my sweet. You do not have to say anything about what happened to you."

I start to shake and I move my head back and forth as though trying to dislodge the thoughts from my mind. One hand digs into my pocket and I fumble to try and open my travel container of medication. Marcus' large confident hands gently dislodge it from my fingers before opening and removing the pills so quickly that I cannot see the actions individually. My nails scrape slightly across the palm of his hand as I take the medication from him and swallow it.

Marcus is murmuring comfortingly to me and allowing me to use all of my strength to hold onto his fingers (not that it would hurt him). It takes some time for me to calm again but I am determined to answer him.

"They, they-" I start stammering.

"Just leave it, dearest it doesn't matter if it causes you such distress." I stubbornly shake my head no at him, forcing myself to focus on our joined hands.

"Most of them were burned," I spit out, swallowing hard before continuing. "They were near Forks- it's a small town where I lived. Some disappeared, some got away. Maybe ten, fifteen I don't know. There was so much chaos- so much blood and death…"

"Shhh," Marcus says pressing his lips gently to the crown of my head. "That's all I need Bella, you've done so well. You do not need to push yourself for anymore. Now," he says changing his tone to one less serious, "Shall I show you the secrets of the Volturi Library?"

It takes me a moment but I shift my train of thought to join him, smiling weakly but nodding my head in agreement. Books will hopefully distract me from my memories, and if they don't then hopefully this vampire will.

**AN:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite it's length, I figured an update that was short was better than no update at all. I'm still trying to get through the end of my semester workload, for example I had a 17 page paper due friday followed by another paper due sunday night online. Not fun times, especially since I've not even been able to leave the house to get groceries. Anyways, you get to see some more Bella/Marcus interaction in this chapter. It was a fun bit to write. Please let me know how you enjoyed it! Thanks to all my readers and reviewers, I appreciate each and every one of you. Till next time.

AN2: People have said they can't read the chapter so I've uploaded it again. I'm so sorry! Please blame fanfiction. P.s. did anyone have any questions about the bonding or did it make sense?


	6. Chapter 6

Temp chapter upload page

Chapter 6 MPOV

"How exactly did the Volturi end up with scrolls from the library of Alexandria?" Bella asks as she very gently leafs through some images that accompany the ancient Greek description of the sacrifice of a bull to Apollo. She can't read the faded words but she still very much appreciates the calligraphy and images. Bella had insisted for over ten minutes that she couldn't possibly touch the pages with her skin as the oils would damage the paper. This was of course after she had stared at the collection in wide-eyed wonder for a bit. So after finding her some gloves upon her insistence, Bella enthusiastically began scanning the old myths, rituals and medical practices at one of the large tables.

"Some of the scrolls are ones that we commissioned the scribes at the library to copy for us. The rich for the time period often had the Alexandrian library do this for them, as they were one of the best producers of books of the time period. Most though are ones that were hastily evacuated during the great fire."

"The Volturi was there when it occurred?" Bella asks looking up from one of the gilded pages before her.

"The Volturi was the cause of what occurred," I reply causing her expressive eyes to widen and her jaw to drop. Her face was priceless.

"Why would you burn all those books?" she asks in a horrified whisper. I chuckle a little and shake my head in the negative at her.

"I assure you that was not the intention. There was a vampire that was quite miffed that the library commandeered the original versions of all of his books. It occurred during transport of some of his belongings through Alexandria; and he was only given copies in return. Remember that at the time books were worth their weight in gold and the author handwrote originals themselves, making it so that often a book was one of the few copies made. The taking of tomes and scrolls was how Alexandria expanded the works held within the library; any piece of written information or literature that was near Alexandria was taken and added to the collection. All ships that used their port for trade were required to hand over all books. This vampire in his rage exposed himself and his powers by killing the head editor and librarian at the time and the Volturi had to interfere."

"So it was this angry vampire that set the fire?" Bella questions across the table at me.

"No, it was an extremely stupid guard member. He wasn't very old but he was a cocky idiot and decided to just burn the vampire body as well as those of the humans the rouge had killed. He set one of the outbuildings on fire with them all inside and the fire spread rapidly in the dry weather. Aro made history and became the first vampire to just about have a coronary as he saw the fire begin to spread and ordered the remaining guard to gather as many of the manuscripts as possible from inside despite the spreading fire. At first the guards protested but when he threw the fool who had caused the disaster into the flames himself and screamed that they should have controlled their fellow guard member better, they quickly agreed to his demands and began moving as many different pieces out of the burning building as possible. Of course most of them were still lost- Alexandria held approximately half a million different pieces of written work, but we managed to save a good variety of subjects."

"Were you there when it happened?" she asks and I shake my head no.

"No dearest, Didyme and I had decided to take a few days break from business and were on a boat some way down the Nile when it occurred. Sulpicia and Athenodora were in the marketplace at the time and when they finally made it at human speed to the library, roofs were beginning to cave in. Sulpicia in particular was furious with the guard for years after it occurred. Women were not welcomed generally into the library, (though some did visit most were male), and so Sulpicia often had Aro bring her scrolls or copies of scrolls to entertain herself and pass the time with. Afterwards, she didn't have a continual source of entertainment really until the printing press debuted. In retaliation Sulpicia had Aro assign the majority of those guards the more difficult jobs from that point onwards for a century. The only member of that guard group that still lives is Anton, so if you wish more information I will introduce you to him when you feel like it."

She nods her head one of the waves of her mahogany hair bouncing along with her. Her face is a mixture of contemplative and calm which is reassuring to see. Though the morning was eventful the rest of the day has gone well. We had stopped for her to eat around noon before I had shown her the section that held the Alexandrian scrolls and it was now early evening. As per my instructions no one had disturbed us, and it seemed to have helped as Bella was finally acting as though she was comfortable in the large library with me. She had ceased looking twice into shadows or jumping as the wind whistled past one of the windows. I had further confirmed that my Bella is a delight to be around as I am able to spend more time with her. Quiet, but bright and so very curious. As she looks at the books and other written pieces it is as though I am experiencing them anew with her.

I pause as I hear footfalls approach the large doors of our library and stand as I hear a soft knocking on the wood. Bella startles slightly glancing up at me and I gently squeeze her gloved hand in reassurance.

"One moment dearest, I'll just go see what they require. Keep enjoying the scrolls."

She nods in reply but it is hesitant and I can tell that the calm and sense of security she had managed to achieve is gone for now. Instead I am sure she is watching me as I cross the large room instead of going back to the documents that had enraptured her so only a minute ago.

I can feel myself growling lowly in irritation, and for the sake of whoever is on the other side of the door this had better be important. Opening the door I am met with a blank faced Caius with a hopeful Athenodora on his arm. Internally I groan, I cannot get angry with my brother for looking out for our family's best interest. However, that doesn't stop me from expressing my displeasure entirely.

"Caius," I begin, the low growl I have not expressed in years making its way into my tone.

"You know I must ask, Marcus. If she cannot speak of it fine, tell me so Aro and I can decide which of the guard we can spare to search, but I need to know one way or another," he replies with a bit of frustration in his voice in response to having to change his habits of usually just demanding information. I clench my teeth but nod sharply.

"Athenodora?" I question looking toward her with an unimpressed stare. I know very well she heard me last night when I had explicitly stated that I did not want them to meet Bella yet.

"Oh Marcus don't be so angry. Caius was coming anyways and if she doesn't want to see me I'll stay right here, I promise."

"Your very presence makes it unlikely she will send you away does it not? She will feel pressured into meeting you. This is the reason I did not want her to meet with the family yet, the entirety of you put yourselves first!" I growl lowly towards her and her husband.

"Watch your tone to my wife, brother," Caius hisses back at me. Athenodora steps between us quickly placing placating hands on both of us.

"No, he is correct Caius, I deserve that. I honestly did not think of it that way though Marcus, I swear. Heidi had mentioned that she slept well and I thought maybe after spending the majority of the day with you she might be open to meeting someone else. If you wish I will leave."

I close my eyes for a moment taking the time to take a mental step back and calm myself. I am not usually so emotional and this small outburst has caught me off guard.

"I will ask her Athenodora," I state looking at them once more. "If she declines though I wish you to respect her decision until she feels safer, agreed?"

Athenodora nods and Caius just glares.

"Stay here," I order before turning back to my mate. She is where I left her, obviously turned towards the direction I had left and am now coming back from.

Pulling out the chair beside her I take a seat so I do not loom over her. She smiles uncertainly at me and I do not stop the urge I suddenly have to pick up her small hand and brush a kiss across her knuckles.

"Everything is fine, sweet."

"Okay," she says hesitantly, though there is a good dose of disbelief mixed into her tone. This seems to be a habit that she has picked up somewhere, replying with what she seems to believe I wish to hear instead of what she actually thinks. I thank the gods she lacks the ability to keep her emotions hidden though because if she had adapted a bored or blank façade such as mine, as well as eluding Aro's gift we all would have no clue whatsoever about what was going on inside her mind.

"Caius just wishes to speak about the guard for a moment or so. His wife Athenodora came as well. She is curious to meet you if you wish, but she understands that things have been difficult for you and will not be offended if that is something you would rather not do right now."

Bella nervously nibbles along her bottom lip and brushes a lock of hair out of her face and behind her ear. She glances at me then towards the door for a moment before returning my gaze again.

"Caius' wife?" she questions softly and I nod in confirmation before having the proverbial moment of clarity.

"I assure you dearest, Athenodora is about as far removed from Caius in personality as it is physically possible to be. Athenodora is quite- bouncy I believe the common term is."

Bella nibbles on her lip a little longer causing me to want to shift my position to ease my sudden discomfort, but I will myself to ignore my body's response to her. She nods her head finally and the tentative smile is back after her moment of indecision.

"Alright, I guess so."

"I'll only be ten to fifteen minutes and I won't be far. Athenodora won't harm you and she may be willing to even translate some of the more obscure scrolls for you. Will you call if you need me?"

Bella nods more firmly this time. "I've been taking care of myself for years Marcus, I should be fine for quarter of an hour. Go, I understand you need to work."

I stand and pull back my chair before leaning to kiss her forehead. Into her hair I murmur "Just because you have taken care of yourself for so long does not mean you should be required to, sweet. Call me if you need me."

BPOV

It isn't very long after Marcus' thought inducing comment that a vision of unearthly beauty comes towards me. I am guessing this is Athenodora as I vaguely remember a golden blonde woman on the dais last night in the throne room, but wow did I miss a lot.

Athenodora could very well have been named Helen of Troy for how amazingly beautiful she is. Tall, thin and willowy like an elf, she also has a walk that sways. Sways, like she didn't even need to touch the stupid ground. She is wearing perfectly pressed white linen straight leg trousers that emphasize her crazy long legs and a coral-pink ruffled wrap blouse with a bow at the waist. Her blonde hair is golden like sunlight and lays in large soft curls. It isn't the white-blond that Caius has, making me think that they must look stunning next to each other. Her breasts aren't large but they are well sized and perky like gravity is non-existent. She wears a simple but significantly sized diamond necklace that probably cost more than my parents houses put together and high heeled shoes that made my brain cringe just to look at. Her facial features are perfect. Delicate nose and jaw, high cheek bones, a soft mouth. Not huge lips like is currently in fashion but enough there to see where the trend may have started. She had big eyes that I'm sure were once blue or grey but now are ruby red. Athenodora had been changed around the same age as Caius, I am guessing her late teens to early-twenties. She's everything any little girl ever wished she could grow up to look like, and I could feel my self-confidence plummet into a bottomless pit.

"Bella," she chirps her voice sweet. "I'm so pleased to finally meet you, I'm Athenodora but you can call me Theena or Dora or whatever. Just not in front of Caius or Aro, they've still got very set ideals about interaction between one another, but that's just the way they are. You'll learn to adapt to it or ignore it like the rest of us." Athenodora then deposits herself into the chair beside me (with perfect grace mind you) and then proceeds to scan the table.

"Oh you're looking at the Apollo rites! Isn't the art for this set lovely? There was some gold leaf on the image when we first acquired the scroll but it sort of disappeared over the centuries. The interesting thing is that the horns of the bull set to be sacrificed were also gilded in gold so the picture is quite accurate." Athenodora says leaning slightly to point out the different aspects of the bull drawing in front of me.

"So the gold was part of the offering?" I tentatively question this woman who is not only beautiful but knowledgeable too.

"Yes, often along with other harvested food items and wine. They were very elaborate. See here it speaks about what surrounds the bull and how it is selected by being the animal that first eats the cake off the altar." She has pointed to a section of text that I couldn't make out for the life of me but the information she was imparting was interesting.

"Did you live in Greece?" I ask her, dearly hoping I am not offending her by doing so.

"In my vampire life we have lived many places for periods of time, but as I assume you mean during my human lifespan the answer is yes. My father was Greek and my mother was Sardinian. I have seen offerings to the gods such as these, though not this particular type."

"Wow," I say softly. "Umm, this will likely sound quite stupid but where is Sardin…nia?"

She laughs lightly not at all bothered by my question. "Yes it is Sardinia. Sardinia is a large island off the coast of Italy in the Mediterranean Sea. It is not as well known as other parts of Italy so I can understand your confusion. I spent a few summers there as a child with my mother's family when my father was away on business for one reason or another. It is a beautiful place. In fact Sardinia holds the only bat native to Italy alone, the Sardinian long-eared bat. Their population is quite small so I have been working on breeding them the last decade or so in some of the underground rooms of the castle. Caius thinks it is a waste of time of course but I quite like working with them. And so he indulges me. If you are at all interested in bats I can show you sometime. There are a couple that are quite tame."

I blink at her not really knowing how to respond. It never occurred to me that this chic fashion icon would pursue animal breeding as a hobby. Heck, it never occurred to me for vampires to pass the time trying to increase the number of a small population of animals at all.

"Well, I've never really actively liked or disliked bats, other than knowing they keep the mosquito levels down. So um sure you can show them to me sometime. I can't see in the dark though," I reply finally.

"Ah, yes you're right some source of light might be required for you. I've linked one of the dungeon rooms into a underground cave that I have worked to be as accurate as possible to the Sardinian caves the bats frequent so I shall have to come up with something dim enough not to frighten the bats and yet bright enough for you to see. I'll come up with something though, not to worry."

"Um, thank-you," I say after her little spiel.

"You're most welcome, Bella. Now while Marcus is still gone is there anything you need that you're uncomfortable asking him for? Bath gels, any type of soap you prefer, some new shoes? I just ask because I know the human guest quarters are sparse and we all want you to be comfortable here Bella."

"Wow, um thank-you but the room is fine. I'm not really someone who puts much into myself though."

"But you should, Bella. You're a beautiful girl. And those running shoes you're wearing have holes in them, are your feet not cold? The humans are always complaining about drafts in the castle."

I shift uncomfortably tucking my feet out of sight beneath my chair as if that will draw her attention away from the sorry things. "They aren't that bad really," I try to convince her vainly, "I just avoid puddles."

She looks at me sardonically, "And how does that work for you?" she asks.

My lips twitch slightly in return at the look of amused disbelief on her face. I swallow before becoming serious again.

"I can't really afford new ones, Athendora, but than-" She cuts me off, shaking her pretty blonde curls stubbornly.

"You are our guest, Bella, proper footwear is the least we can provide for you. Your feet are a size 7 in American standards, correct?"

I numbly nod. The old me would have fought being given even the smallest of gifts as was evident with _them_. However, having lived through a Seattle winter with holes in my shoes there is no way my pride is going to get in the way of my dry feet.

"Excellent, I shall make sure you have some options brought to your rooms by tonight and later this week if you feel well enough Sulpica, yourself and I will go shopping for you. It is Italian springtime after all and I doubt you have anything weather appropriate for the season."

I twitch at the mention of shopping and shrug my shoulders a little in neutral reply, neither given my consent nor refusal. I am getting fairly desperate for new pants as most of mine are wearing thin; but the idea of being _some one's_ dress-up doll does not appeal in the slightest.

"Now that that is cleared up," Athenodora announces happily, "tell me a bit more about yourself Bella."

I pause for a moment, "I'm not that interesting really," I respond.

"I don't believe that for a minute! Come tell me anything it doesn't have to be something monumental, what about your favourite colour?"

"I don't really have one, though I guess I'm partial to jewel tones. Royal purple, deep blue, hunter green."

"All colours that I'm sure would look lovely with your complexion. What about hobbies? I've already outted the fact that I'm a vampire working with bats of all things." The irony of her statement and situation finally sinks in for me and I huff out a laugh.

"Very well, okay umm after my father…my dad died, I desperately wanted a connection to, well anything but I felt I needed to improve myself too. That I lacked and I wanted my father to be proud of me, to have a skill of some sort that was relevant. So I took up piano because I've always found classical music peaceful and piano isn't dangerous to someone who is a total klutz like myself. And over time I could leave my pain behind me and absorb myself entirely into the notes. Then someone caught me humming a melody a few times and encouraged me to sing as well. So that's my hobby I guess. I play the piano and sing. Not very well but before, well it gave me something to focus on for a while. Haven't played in over a year though."

Athenodora nods along with my rambling, seemingly highly attentive to my words in such a way it causes me to blush. Her eyes flicker momentarily to my cheeks before she meets my eyes once more though her pupils do not expand and darken her eyes in hunger like I expected. "That's wonderful, Bella. I would enjoy hearing you play sometime."

I shake my head at the risk of annoying her, but I speak anyways, "I don't really play for other people. There were a couple people once, but not anymore."

Athenodora looks at me with the smallest hint of sympathy or possibly pity in her eyes.

"Well maybe once we get to know one another better. If you wish to play though there is a music room. We can have someone tune the piano for you and pick up sheet music if you like. "

The offer is tempting to me. Though piano started as something to distract me from Charlie's death and to bring me closer to _him_ and _his_ standard of perfection it quickly re-awoke my love of music that had begun long before I knew of _them_, in my childhood. It gave me an outlet before the disasters that occurred in Forks and soothed me in a way I didn't fully understand. Then of course someone brought up _them_ and like the curse their very name seems to be everything went to hell.

"Maybe," I decide finally smiling slightly at the perfection sitting beside me. Athenodora merely nods in acceptance, and points out another passage of text on the scrolls before me.

MPOV

I am once again in Aro's study with my family while Bella sleeps. Athenodora seems quite pleased with herself after speaking with my Bella earlier and is now doing something on her computer. Sulpicia likewise is working on her machine, from glancing at the screen I would assume she is doing something that is connected to the updating of my rooms. Caius is looking at a map of North America with Aro and the two are debating quietly which guard members are best suited to handle the newborns Bella interacted with. I am reading a book about anxiety disorders that Aro gave me earlier to try and understand my mate better.

Caius glances over at his wife once before commenting "Beloved I thought you were a different size," he states with confusion looking at the screen before her.

"I am Caius, these are for Bella," she replies happily drawing my attention towards her as well.

"What is for my Bella?" I question. Athenodora turns the screen to show me the image of a dark indigo cable knit sweater (yes, I've learned the terms for fashion, one must do so to keep up with Athenodora and Sulpicia once they get clothing oriented).

"It looks as though it would suit her," I comment as Athenodora turns her computer back around.

"I think she'll like it, but further it will help keep the girl warm. I counted three holes in her shoes today. Three! So in addition to new shoes I'm just getting some other staple items for her until she can pick out things for herself. You're going to have to watch her Marcus the girl isn't going to ask for anything herself. Also, we need someone to tune the pianoforte-"

Athenodora is cut off by the sound of pounding on the study door. All of us are on our feet at once, and Aro being closest whips the door open. "What-" he begins to question as the guard know not to interrupt us without good reason.

"It's Miss Swan my Lords, she is screaming in her sleep. What do you want me to do?" Heidi asks.

Before she has even finished I have moved past her and am out the door. The study we were in is on the opposite side of the castle from the wing that holds the human quarters. Normally we don't interact with humans and being the farthest away from them is quieter, and we don't have to smell their food, etc. Right now however, I am severely displeased at this placement as I could not even hear Isabella from the study. As I speed through the hallways her cries get louder quickly. It is as though she is being tortured her screams interspaced with gasps for air. The hallway her room is in has quite the number of guard members and some of the few human staff. I grab the collar of one of the guards in my way and toss him behind me out of my way. Before they even land the rest of the guard has noticed my arrival and are clearing a path for me to her door. I quickly unlock her door hissing over my shoulder for them to be quiet or leave, closing the door behind myself.

Upon entering I see my Bella upon the bed. She is tangled in the linens and her skin is wet with sweat. She screams again ending with muffled sobs, the tendons in her neck stretched tight as she yells, tears on her blotchy cheeks. I approach her and crouch beside the bed pulling the sheets away from her limbs and dragging her close to me on the edge of the bed. She screams again and struggles against me and I find myself having to be very careful so as to not cause her harm or allow her to harm herself accidently.

"Bella, my mate, hush. It is Marcus, dearest I will not harm you. You are safe with me, leave the demons in your head and come back to the world," I whisper to her soothingly while pinning her still struggling form to the mattress. It takes some time but eventually she stops fighting me and soon after opens her eyes.

"Bella sweet, are you alright?" I question her but receive no response. She seems to be on the edge of consciousness looking around in a daze. I decide to just continue speaking to her and as the minutes pass she seems to become more aware. Eventually she meets my eyes.

"Marcus?" she asks from the bed, my one arm over her waist the second near her face. "Where did you come from?"

"Through the door, dearest. You were screaming in your sleep."

She blinks at me her mind obviously still fuzzy. "Oh. That happens. I was actually surprised it didn't last night but I think I was just too exhausted. My throat hurts now. But it usually does after these. I'm sorry if I woke you up, my dad used to be woken up all the time by me after _they _left. I felt so bad as he'd go to work with these huge circles under his eyes, and so tired."

"I don't sleep dearest, you didn't wake me," I calmly reassure her as she rambles a little at me. She reaches forward and takes some of my hair between her fingers twisting it between them distractedly.

"That's right, I forgot. My brain isn't quite back yet, and I still feel awful. All guilty and frightened but I can never remember why when I first wake up. Then I remember all the reasons again. Your kind exemplifies it all- that sometimes it's the ones who don't look anything like monsters that really are. She was so beautiful yet she killed so many. There was so much blood- and I could smell it like rust and salt and old pennies- and it was so thick in the air it clung to the roof of my mouth." She closes her eyes and sobs, completely forgetting that she is still holding my hair. I ignore the slight pulling from my temple and draw her completely off the bed and against my chest before sitting on her bed against the headboard.

I tuck her head beneath my chin and hold her balled up form close. "You have me now, my Bella. I'll be your personal monster and keep all the other ones away, sweet. Just focus on what is real right now in this moment. My voice, the sound and feel of your breathing, the feel of your heartbeat."

We sit in silence for a while before she starts to shiver. "You are cold. Go shower and I'll arrange for new linens for you along with something warm to drink."

She shakes her head against my chest. "No, I don't feel so bad when I am with you Marcus, I know you're probably busy and I know I'm all sweaty and gross but please don't leave me."

I run my hand down her hair, continuing the movement to stroke her damp back. "Nothing is more important right now than taking care of you, dearest. I will not leave if you do not wish me to, my Bella but you must get warm. Either you go warm yourself in the shower or a guard member will need to enter your rooms to bring more blankets or some sort of heating device."

"That's fine," Bella quickly agrees. It seems as she speaks she realizes that she is still holding some of my hair and hastily untangles her fingers from it. "Sorry," she whispers and I can smell her blood closer to the surface of her skin indicating that must have rushed to her cheeks in her embarrassment.

"I barely felt anything my Bella, I don't mind. It is not as though you could pull any of my hair out," I reassure her pulling the strands back into order once more with my one hand.

"I am going to call the guard now, Bella," I warn her not wanting to frighten her even more with a vampire suddenly entering the room. She nods against me again her shivers vibrating her entire body.

"Heidi," I call lifting my voice only slightly. The door opens and Heidi enters bowing slightly towards me, her eyes dissecting the picture I create with my mate in my lap. I flash my teeth threateningly at her whispering below human hearing for her to avert her eyes. She does so but I am tense and so still watch her every move like an insect beneath a magnifying lens.

"Retrieve Isabella dry thick blankets and find something to heat the room with. Hurry, now go."

Heidi bows quickly leaving the room at full speed. It isn't more than a handful of minutes later that she arrives with a stack of three blankets and a battery powered heater, which she quickly turns on and sets down. I gesture for her to place her stack of fabric on the foot of the bed; she does so trying not to look at me.

"Anything else Lord Marcus?"

"No that is all. Leave." I state and she does. I've already turned my interest away from her and am using one arm to tuck the wool and cotton layers around my mate whom I hold in my other arm. Bella moves slightly allowing me to do so before she settles in again.

"I'm sorry I'm acting like a child," Bella says quietly after her shivers calm some.

"You are not acting like a child, my Bella, you are acting like someone who has gone through much and is in need of comfort and reassurance. I am pleased to provide you with both, do not worry so."

"But surely there are other things for you to be doing?" she questions.

"I already told you, sweet nothing comes before you in importance. Try to get some more rest, things will seem less heavy in the light of day."

"You'll really just hold me until morning?"

"However long you need me to my Bella. If that is only until dawn then yes."

"Alright," she comments but I can tell she is entering sleep again as there is a drowsy quality to her voice. Soon the hours pass and she sleeps lightly against me, half waking every once in a while as though she is checking to see if I am still there. As the minutes march by I contemplate the things that I will do to the monsters that made her live such terrifying events that they invade her sleep so ruthlessly.

**AN: Firstly, can I say a huge thank-you to everyone that has read and reviewed! Over 100 reviews and 580 readers! That is amazing and way higher than I expected when I first began this! Also when you review I will give you sneaky hints about something if you have a question, just mention it and I'll try to give you a little something to contemplate. **

**Secondly, this chapter is up much sooner than I thought it was going to be. I completely thought it was going to take me about a full week to recover from 3 exams within 24 hours along with a paper and moving out, but surprisingly it didn't. **

**What did everyone think of Athenodora? And how did you find the Marcus/Bella progression in this chapter? Too much, too little, just right? Please let me know.**

**One last thing! I have made a pinterest board specifically of pictures that inspire me for Until Dawn or featuring jewelry, clothing, places, etc. that will be seen in the fic. There are some that give hints about upcoming chapters if you are interested the board is under Hebridean Sprite. Enjoy and thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

BPOV

Things did seem better in the morning. I woke up quite early still cradled in Marcus' arms. That alone caused a small revelation for me as to the power of this bond between us. It had been so long since I felt comfortable even touching someone else and yet it felt so nice for Marcus to just hold me. Even his rather intimidating size now seemed comfortable and protective rather than completely terrifying. To be honest it was a little daunting how quickly my attitude towards vampires had changed. Yet they were so accepting, even with my clear multitude of issues. Heck they had been more welcoming and kind than most humans I had dealt with since the onset of my symptoms.

Sometime in the night someone had brought Athenodora's promised shoes. There were three pair but the ones I ended up choosing for the day were a cross between running shoes and hiking boots in a dusty purple shade. They looked sturdy, comfortable, practical and waterproof; made by Columbia, a brand I had seen quite a lot of back in Forks. I silently thanked Athenodora's insistence on getting me shoes as these are ones I would have chosen for myself if I had the money.

After Marcus left to change for the day, I took a quick shower and got ready as well. Soon after Marcus came back and we relocated to his study where I am now. Someone who's name I didn't catch, had just dropped by with food for me (pancakes with a creamy lemon sauce- yum). Marcus seemed completely unaffected by the smell of the food thankfully, and was doing paperwork at his desk while I sat on a loveseat in front of the fire. The quiet between us was peaceful and comfortable; I appreciated that greatly after the hectic year and a half in Seattle. I'm just about finished eating when I hear Aro's voice through the entry door. He soon bursts through it and his words stop me cold.

"Marcus we've chosen a section of the guard to see to the situation with the newborns Isabella mentioned. I wanted to see what you thought but I believe we shall have them start where Isabella was living at the time, Forks."

I'm fairly sure it is the increase in my heart rate that causes Aro to finally notice me over by the crackling fire but he does then turning to see me with a cheery "Good morning, Isabella dear."

I'm sure my eyes are wide with fear but I force myself to say the next words out of my mouth, I just cannot contemplate the possible deaths that would be on my hands if I do not.

"Forgive my saying this," I barely whisper, "but sending vampires to Forks is a very bad idea."

Aro blinks at me in surprise an eyebrow quirked slightly and Marcus has a slight furrow on his forehead as the look towards me. "Why so dearest, the possible presence of the newborns?" Marcus asks me. I slowly shake my head no, taking a deep breath before responding. I seriously don't know how they are going to react.

"You know that Native American tribe I mentioned? The one who's legends I figured out the existence of vampires from?"

Both nod their heads, Aro giving me a gesture to continue. "Well it turns out that the tribe has a gene that is activated when vampires are nearby. Their teenagers and young adults start turning into werewolves to protect them."

The two vampires before me completely freeze over. It is as though all life has been sucked from them and they are inanimate objects made by a highly talented sculptor. Then they both seem to spring to life at once.

"WEREWOLVES!" Marcus bellows standing up forcefully from his chair fists clenched and anchored on his desk. I flinch back in my chair as Aro seems to be furiously whispering to Marcus as he firmly grabs his brother's shoulder squeezing so tightly that I can hear small cracks form in his flesh. The unpleasant sound causes me to flinch again and close my eyes. This revelation has not gone over well to say the least.

"Isabella, we are not angry with you, just the fact that some children of the Moon still exist. Didyme died at the hands of werewolves and the insanity of their species has caused many incidences of near exposure to the human population many times over the years. We had thought them wiped out for more than a century now."

"Oh, well, I'm fairly sure they've been like this for at least four generations," I state timidly before something Aro said registers.

"What do you mean by insanity? The pack isn't insane; moody sure but most teenagers are."

"You have met them Isabella? They are not out of their human minds?" Aro questions.

I shake my head slowly. "No. I… after my father died I moved in with his closest friend for a while. His son and I were friends for a time and he was part of the pack. Quick to anger but you could still reason with him. Mostly."

Marcus makes a sound of distress somewhere between a moan and a huff of disbelief placing his head in his hands. Aro distractedly pats him on the shoulder just as Caius bursts through the door causing me to startle again.

"What is this about Werewolves?" he demands of Aro. I can see this conversation going downhill fast and so quickly take a Xanax while Aro seems to be speaking to both Caius and Marcus above my hearing level. Soon Caius has a face that resembles stone as he sits stiffly beside Marcus. Aro then turns back to me.

"What do you know of their transformation, Isabella? These do not sound as though they have the same temperament as the Werewolves we have met before."

I swallow thickly thinking that this is a description that is not too painful to provide.

"Umm well they are normal until a vampire or vampires come into range and stay there for a period of time. They will suddenly have a shorter temper before they will become sick with a fever. I'm not sure how many days it takes because the elders are so secretive about it, but eventually they bulk up and grow like crazy. There isn't one of them when they are in human form afterwards that is under six feet. Mostly it's the boys that change but for the first time one of the older girls of the tribe changed while I lived there. Like a real wolf pack they have a hierarchy. One leads and his word is law to the rest. When they first shift they get angry easily and shift on a hair trigger but mostly the others try to keep the new wolves in line. Umm, they can change at will and in wolf form look like normal wolves about four times the regular size. You can tell individuals apart by their colouring, but they keep their personalities. Jake- the boy who I lived with along with Billy his father- said that when the pack shifted that the wolves hear everything that the others think at all times. That there isn't much privacy between them, but that it makes going after vampires much easier. And, well, I brought them up because the entire Quileute tribe isn't just afraid or bias against vampires- they hold a deep loathing for them, especially red eyed ones."

Aro nods glancing at his brothers while Marcus gets up from his desk before moving to sit next to me on the loveseat seemingly calmer than before. I cannot help flinching slightly as he grasps my hand but he ignores it before kissing my forehead reverently. "I am not cross with you my Bella, and I apologize for yelling. I should not have done so in your presence but your revelation set me aback and to hear that you could have been in such danger…" he trails off and I nod my head in acceptance at him. Werewolves don't like vampires and vampires don't like werewolves, why am I not surprised. Aro picks up where he left off.

"It sounds to us dear, that these are different beings than the Children of the Moon we are familiar with. More like a shifter than our traditional werewolf. The wolves we have encountered are truly insane and are completely controlled by the moon's pull. They do not look like one of nature's creations having features of both man and beast and they tend to completely destroy or infect all that come in contact with them. Isabella can you tell us why these Quileute's despise vampires so?"

I shiver but resolve myself to speak about it at least in vague detail, gripping Marcus' hand tighter. He seemingly is over his anger and runs his fingers over my knuckles soothingly.

"When I was there last they had lost over half their pack due to newborns led by a vampire named Victoria. She was determined to torture and kill me because the coven I was with destroyed her mate after he thought I would make a fun game to hunt. But it wasn't just the wolves that died. People were going missing from the town itself, and later during the thick of it all one of the imprint's children was killed along with some of the elders," I explain looking at my new shoes with high interest feeling tears as they start to flow down my cheeks.

"What is an imprint, my Bella?" Marcus asks me softly pulling me closer to lean against his side.

"An imprint I suppose is like a vampire mate," I say sniffling slightly as I use my sleeve to wipe the tears from my cheeks. Out of the corner of my eye I see Aro flinch at my apparent lack of manners. Oops. "The elders always said that they were the perfect match for the wolf, that they see the imprint and their entire world view shifts. Jake, he explained it as though gravity wasn't the force that held them to the earth anymore, that instead it was that person. It doesn't matter the age or the gender, the wolf then becomes anything that person needs. Quil imprinted on Claire who was only about two years old at the time. At first the entire pack was worried, heck I still am disturbed by it to be honest, but they insisted that as Claire really only needed someone to protect her and play with her and that that is what Quil became, a playmate and babysitter. It's strange though because the wolf form doesn't seem to connect with the imprint automatically. Emily was Sam the Alpha's imprint. He was newly phasing at the time and they got into an argument. He shifted too close and lashed out at her. She almost died, and the claw scars across her face stayed with her until she was killed."

"Was Victoria destroyed, Isabella?" Aro inquires seriously. I nod quickly trying not to think about it too clearly.

"Yes, about four of the wolves eventually surrounded her and tore her to pieces. One of them lit her on fire soon afterwards," I answer. Silence lingers for a moment before Marcus speaks again.

"They made you leave didn't they sweet?" he questions lowly and I close my eyes trying to stem the flow of my tears as I nod.

"I understand though," I croak out, "The imprint's child that died, she was only five. Victoria killed her in front of me slowly as a way to torture me. I couldn't stop her, I begged her to do what she wanted to me instead but she refused. She said she was enjoying my pain too much, and no matter how I struggled she wouldn't leave the little girl alone. I was supposed to watch her, to protect her; she was such a sweet little girl but I just couldn't stop it!" I'm slightly hysterical by this point. My sobs shake my body and I can hear the screams of Lianya in my head.

I soon find myself in Marcus' lap again, him stroking my head that lays on his shoulder as he holds my waist with one arm.

"You are human, my Bella. There was nothing you could do against an angry vampire. No conceivable way that you could have done anything to change this Victoria's mind. The coven you were with is to blame for this. Any vampire worth the venom in their veins knows you _always_ destroy both halves of a bonded pair."

I gasp to stifle a sob as I say "I don't think they knew. The hunter James came with another male Laurent, along with Victoria. They may have just thought they were a small coven." I'm not trying to defend them, but I still find it hard to possibly accept that they knew and still left me.

I jump slightly in Marcus' arms as another hand softly touches my back before slowly running up and down my spine. Turning my head I see Aro sitting in my previous spot upon the loveseat. Surprisingly it is Caius that speaks next.

"It does not matter. If you destroy a vampire you kill off the coven too. We are wrathful creatures by nature and to not clean up any possible connections to the being you've destroyed screams of sloth and stupidity. As though they are asking for revenge."

I shiver at Caius' words and cry into the cloth of Marcus' shirt. I thought I had come to terms about _them _leaving me long ago but it seems it can still rip me open the more I think about it. That I meant so little to them that they would leave me in a situation where at least some of them knew could be deadly for me.

"What was the reason the Quileutes used to force you to leave Isabella?" Aro questions his hand never pausing.

"Lianya, the little girl was the daughter of Jacob's imprint. Jacob became the next Alpha after Sam died and Jake couldn't deal with the anger and grief that he himself had along with that of his imprint _and_ the rest of the pack. They, I, some of the surviving wolves helped pack me up and dropped me off in Seattle the next day to escape Jacob's anger. I lived there ever since. But that is why you can't send the guard to Forks. They'll be hunting down any vampire that sets foot within 20 miles of the reservation now."

Aro nods once sharply in reply. "Thank-you Isabella for informing us of this pack. You have saved us much grief and possibly the lives of some of our guard members. For now we will leave the Quileutes be, as the newborns are the most pressing concern- especially if this Victoria was their sire. Hopefully we will have no reason to confront these wolves in the future, if they truly are just defending their people and do not meddle in Vampire affairs than they are of no concern to us." I nod slightly in understanding though I feel a growl and vibration from Marcus' chest, followed by a hiss of distaste from Caius' direction. Both seem to agree to Aro's decision however so I don't say anything merely move slightly deeper into Marcus' arms.

"Come Aro," Caius suddenly states gruffly. "We need to choose more discrete members of the guard for this and you've caused Isabella and our brother enough grief for one morning." He then swiftly stands and leaves out the study door. Aro chuckles lightly patting me gently on the back as I blink at where Caius just left.

"Caius must like you, dear," he exclaims teasingly. "Have Marcus show you some of the gardens Isabella, when you wish to go outside; they are quite lovely. Keep your chin up." He hen too stands briefly squeezing Marcus' nearby knee before striding out the study door.

"My Bella, you have thus far managed to stir the family up more than we have been stirred in over two centuries. Things are certainly not boring with you are they dearest?" Marcus teases me lightly.

I giggled wetly. "I would like to point out that trouble is usually waiting for me when I arrive, and that really I am just awful at hiding from it."

"There waiting for you, sweet?"

I nod in confirmation. "Yep, like Caius at the table in the restaurant. I got randomly assigned to that section then bam; there he was sitting there all startlingly pale and blond with dissolving contacts. Or the werewolf pack, I moved to Forks to live with my dad, then poof vampires and werewolves and rain all the damn time."

Marcus laughed a little nudging my temple with his nose. "So not only do you require someone to open doors for you dearest, you need an advance guard? My Bella, are you trying to compete with Athenodora for being high maintenance? I can guarantee you won't be able to match her level of skill quite yet with her centuries of practice nor Sulpicia who when she wishes is a near match."

I playfully try to shove his shoulder (an attempt that fails of course). "I would bet that those doors have been here since before I was born, thus they were here _waiting_ for me with all their difficult handling issues. In addition, I pretty much raised my mother, and my dad couldn't cook or clean to save his life. I was paying bills by the time I was eight, made all the meals by nine and balanced the household budget by ten; therefore I am fairly sure I qualify as low-maintenance. At least when trouble isn't stalking me," I began teasingly then ended slightly defensive. I have been responsible my entire life as Renee moved out of Forks before I was even a toddler.

"I did not mean to offend you, dearest," Marcus says to me softly. I shrug a little leaning my head on his shoulder again.

"It's fine, you didn't. I just, I've been responsible my entire life. I've given up a lot, especially for my mother to do what she wanted. She was what one would describe as flighty and high maintenance, so to think I am like her in that way is disconcerting I suppose."

Marcus tips up my chin so that I meet his eyes. "You are not unreliable Isabella. I have not known you long, but I can tell quite easily that you are trustworthy and dependable. That you brought up your dealings with the Quileute tribe causing yourself distress and not knowing how we would react to help us just this morning easily shows me this. In addition, it has been a bit of a joke for years with Sulpicia and Athenodora about their ability to get my brothers to do what they wish. Plus, with how young you are sweet it is difficult to truly understand the era I was born in and those I have lived through. I am firmly of the belief that women are to be protected and doted upon. I enjoy caring for you, and I have not truly enjoyed tasks for centuries.

I am not faulting you for being attractive to danger and misfortune. If anything, it will provide me with a never ending challenge, which when you manage to live as long as I have, is quite refreshing. Now, Aro mentioned the gardens which have just begun to bloom. Would you like to see them?"

I smile shyly, nodding. "It would be nice to go outside."

**AN: Thank-you again to all of my reviewers, you truly are what got me through the last of my exams and projects as well as this chapter! For some reason this one was difficult to write. So I'm sorry it's on the short side but I figure an update is better than nothing. Not to mention I think a bunch of stuff happens in this chapter so hopefully that makes up for it. **

**Also as so many of you enjoyed the Alexandria addition I'm planning on more little historical tidbits as I loved writing the last one and so many of you were awesomely positive about it! **

**As always reviews, comments and questions are welcomed! (I'm a chatty person by nature so please don't hesitate to contact me!)**

**P.S. I've now increased the rating on this to M. Not that the violence is too graphic in this chapter but I'm hoping from here on out to slowly increase the intensity of stuff and I want to be safe. **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

BPOV

Marcus tucks a dark purple and white freesia in my hair as we walk through the diverse gardens outside the castle. I can feel myself blush a bit as I smile at him, prompting a wide grin of his own. There are many courtyards along the main wall that faces away from the town and the variety of flowers and plants is dazzling to me. Not to mention it is the first time that I've seen Marcus in the sunlight. Instead of the outright diamond sparkle exhibited by _them_, his skin had more of a soft shimmer. Like someone went a little overboard on cosmetic highlighting powder then rubbed it in. The effect is a diffused sort of glow which is quite pretty and ethereal. It also has the added benefit of not being nearly as attention grabbing as _their_ skin was.

"You can ask me anything dearest, I can see the questions forming behind your eyes," Marcus says with a hint of a tease. I had obviously been staring more blatantly that I thought. My cheeks flush with colour as I try to word my question in my head.

"I noticed before, but in the sun the difference is even more pronounced. Why is your skin so different from other vampires?"

Marcus nods to himself "I was wondering if you had seen vampires in the sunlight before," he comments leading me off the path we were on and toward a stone bench bordered by trellises of climbing flowers. Marcus waits for me to sit before he joins me on the bench, and I turn to look at him better, tucking one leg up onto the bench with me.

"You know how newborns are stronger and faster than the average vampire, correct?"

I nod and shudder slightly at the unpleasant reminder but I push that down in favour of gaining the answer to my question.

"Newborns get their enhanced strength and speed from the blood that is left over in their tissues from when they were human. It is a kind of back-up energy source, which lasts about a year- through the newborn phase. This is beneficial for them as most newborns are so overwhelmed by their new senses and lust for blood that they are barely able to string two thoughts together, so the speed and strength help increase the number of vampires to live past their first year. In addition to this the change reformats the skin into a crystalline structure which gives the glitter effect you have seen before. What is not as well known though is that our venom continues to modify our skin after the change. Newborns are actually slightly brighter in the sunlight but it is so rarely seen as newborns attract so much attention. Therefore, most vampires are oblivious to it.

So after the first year is over the supply of in tissue blood has depleted and a vampire loses their above average abilities. However, the skin changes slightly too. Instead of large sharp crystal sort of randomly pressured together, the skin takes on a crystal lattice structure. It doesn't make much of a difference originally, but it makes a large difference over time. The lattice structure is highly stable which makes the skin much more difficult to penetrate. Over the centuries activity increases the pressure on the skin making it thinner but due to the physical layout but doesn't reduce the strength or durability. It is as though the layers of the skin actually become closer together. In addition to this physical wear and our venom softens the rough edges of the crystal structure on the surface of our skin so after a couple millennia we have a softened glow when compared to those younger than us. So few make it to our age that it is not a well known phenomena. Not to mention because it is such a slow process even vampires that may start to see changes in their skin don't notice a difference." Marcus explains.

That there is a scientific structural explanation to something so non-scientific completely amazes me.

"May I?" I ask as the sun comes out from behind the sparse clouds causing Marcus to glow again. He chuckles at me but obligingly holds out his hand for me to examine in the sun.

"Press against my palm," Marcus suddenly instructs. I turn to blink up at him in confusion knowing that vampire skin is rock hard from experiences with _them_. "Just try, sweet," he encourages.

I shrug with one shoulder and decide to do as he asks pressing hard against his hand. I'm stunned to actually see his skin bend due to the pressure of my fingers. Not much; certainly not as much as one would see with human skin, but his skin does dimple under my touch.

I'm fairly sure I'm gaping as I continue to move my fingers over different sections of his hand. "How?" I sputter out finally.

Marcus is laughing softly at me now, his entire face lit up with his smile. "It is because the entire skin structure is thinner. It allows more flexibility without losing any of the defensive properties," he explains.

"So your skin just looks more fragile then? What about your eyes, can you still see as well as you did when you were younger?" I question. A part of me stirs at the thought that Marcus' age may be a detriment against him in some way. And with my luck, any weakness he has is likely to get him killed by just being around me. That thought sours my stomach before I am drawn back to Marcus who interlaces my fingers with his so we are now holding hands instead of me using him as a science project.

"No, dearest, my skin is most certainly not more fragile. Most believe that as we age we become weaker, but they couldn't be more wrong. The average vampire is of the mind that newborns or those with gifts that enhance their abilities are the true dangers, and age does not come on their radar for a physical threat. And for a specific time that is correct I suppose. You see the venom in our veins becomes more concentrated over time. That increased concentration in venom slowly works to increase our strength and speed, our sight, smell, sense of touch. Everything is increased in power. However there is a time gap where the venom is merely working to take in new blood and supply the vampire life. This period continues to when the concentration of the venom is great enough to exceed what is required by the body to have an excess to actually cause changes. The volume of blood needed is the first aspect of more concentrated venom induced change, as the venom increases efficiency in extracting what is needed from the blood. Then slowly come the other aspects. Seeing though as very few vampires make it to that first point around 400 years old most hold the belief that newborns are the epitome of strength.

Sulpicia and Athendora have been researching this on and off for centuries but what we believe is that a vampires venom never stops working to make us into the ultimate hunter- tempered by environmental stresses and such like evolution. They predict that in the next couple centuries the cloudiness on our eyes will disguise our red retinas amongst humans. They also believe that the flexibility of our skin makes it easier to interact with them when needed- that it is providing us with alternative hunting methods."

I paused taking this all in. "So essentially you're becoming more indestructible as time goes on."

Marcus nods and that sour thought from before promptly disappears. He may survive knowing me after all!

My sudden overwhelmingly positive emotions have drawn Marcus' attention, prompting him to open his mouth to ask me about it no doubt, when Alec comes into the courtyard we are sitting in. My buoyant emotions take a nosedive, because quite honestly the witch twins freak me out. The night I arrived, I had been placed in their care and they both had looked at me with scorn and disgust the entire time. Jane also found it hilariously fun to trip me into walls and tell me in graphic detail what was likely to happen to me, my blood, and then to my corpse once Caius received what he needed to know from me. Such a _warm_ welcome provided by the two of them.

"Lord Marcus, Lords Aro and Caius have requested your presence in regards to an issue sent from the Cosa Nostra."

Marcus' face loses all the emotion and warmth that he had held with me mere moments ago as he nods in response to Alec's message. "Find Heidi and tell her to come meet Isabella here. Dismissed," he cuts out and Alec bows slightly before leaving us alone again.

"If Aro and Caius have called for me, Bella this must be important. Heidi will be along in a moment and everyone in the castle are aware that they are not permitted to feed outside of the designated rooms. If you wish you may continue to enjoy the gardens or Heidi will guide you to the library. Do you feel comfortable enough to be alone for a few minutes, or would you prefer me to wait with you?" he asks.

I shake my head negatively. "I'll be fine Marcus, don't keep them waiting if it's important. I'll see you later?" I question.

"Of course dear one, this should not last more than a couple of hours. I will find you afterwards. Enjoy the gardens." With that Marcus pecks my forehead lightly and then I am quite suddenly alone.

Picking up were Marcus and I left off before, I continue along the garden path into the next courtyard over.

I'm admiring the detailing on a water fountain a few minutes later, enjoying the soft rushing sound of the water, when I clearly hear a scoff behind me. Turning, I am unhappy to see Jane looking at me with a mix of distain and disgust. Of course she looks like she's in a snit too, her nose so slightly scrunched at me. I wait for her to speak knowing she will. I also know that the conversation about to take place between us is going to be unpleasant.

"You just don't have a fucking clue do you, human?"

For a moment I internally sigh, debating whether it is even worth trying to talk back to her. Thinking about it for a bit I decide yes, it is. It seems like I'm going to be interacting with these vampires for an extended period of time so I might as well show that I do have a bit of a backbone. Well, in-between my bouts of hysteria.

"As to the reason I bother you so much? It likely has to do with the fact you can't use your sadistic mind trick on me. But don't feel too bad Jane, my impenetrable brain has discouraged vampires better than you," I say lightly, digging up some of my comeback skills that Leah had so sharpened when I lived on the reservation.

"Just because there is something wrong with your head- which is obvious to everyone- doesn't mean I can't cause you to regret the day you were born, human. But no you oblivious hypocrite, I'm talking about the Volturi. Marcus is slumming with you and so you have clearly abandoned everything and everyone that was ever important to you. You think you're something special? The three Volturi brothers are around three thousand six hundred years old. They've seen the rise and fall of civilizations and have had influence on historic events that changed your entire filthy culture. The Volturi does not stay a superpower by being sweet and sappy with little perfumed love notes. Every single one of us indulge in human blood and we enjoy it. We've bathed in it merely because we've wanted to and we revel in the screams. You, the small town police chief's daughter acting oh so comfortable around the very things daddy was so against. When you look into our eyes how is it you manage to block out the fact that the reason they are crimson is because we took the life of one of your pathetic species.

And it's not like the Volturi is strictly vampire business either. For all your stupidity I bet you have no fucking idea who the Cosa Nostra are do you?" she sneers at me, throwing her words out like barbs.

A part of me has been trying to come to terms with the Volturi's lifestyle and diet choices since I've really become closer to Marcus. I'm not nearly so naive as to think that human drinkers are evil and animal drinkers are saints, but knowing so little about the Volturi's feeding habits I haven't been able to make too much headway one way or the other in my mind. I know that they must have a fairly sophisticated system of getting their food, as they need a large constant supply and yet they also won't risk attracting human attention with missing people searches either.

The age difference between Marcus and I has never seemed quite so broad before. It is difficult for me to fathom properly I guess thousands of years of experiences. Truly I must seem so very awkward, young and foolish to him. But seeing as I am currently dealing with this harpy I decide to ignore the first part of Jane's statement and instead just answer her question.

"No Jane, I don't know the definition, but I bet you're about to inform me aren't you?"

"It's the name for the Italian Mob you pathetic blood-bag."

I pause for a moment to absorb this before speaking again. "Honestly Jane, so what? Logically there are many benefits I can see for both the Volturi and organized crime syndicates having an alliance together. I'm sure there is some activities I won't agree with but I can guarantee that's something that is going to happen with any ruthless organization. Was your mentioning this supposed to frighten me?" I question her a condescending edge to my words.

"I know there is no black or white in this world. I get that justice is only available to those who have the power to take it. That became known to me when a loan shark my mother borrowed from killed off my father in my kitchen as I watched. Truly unmistakably crystal clear when I picked up the gun blew out the man's brains before I turned it on his buddy standing guard outside the house and unloaded the rest of the clip into his chest. Especially when the supposed justice system was only there to clean up the mess many many hours later.

Vampires and werewolves were not the only reason I was laying low in Seattle, Jane. So do I personally want to deal with the Italian Mob? No; but you pushing the fact that they are real in my face is no surprise either."

Jane actually blinks at me stunned with regards to this little scrap of information that I'm not as innocent in the ways of life as it seems. What she doesn't know is all the other details, like how I was sick to my stomach almost constantly for a month afterwards.

All of a sudden there is the distinct click of heels on garden stone to my right and a female vampire enters the courtyard. She is fairly tall in an eye-catching scarlet red dress that flows all the way to the ground. It has little cap sleeves and a twist of fabric making the cut of the dress empire style emphasizing her generous curves. Though pale like all vampires there is something about her that makes me think she may have had an olive undertone to her skin when she was still human. She must have been changed at least a decade later than Athenodora as she appears to only be slightly younger than Aro physically- maybe around her early to mid thirties. Her brunette hair was the richest chocolate shade and hung in perfectly positioned waves to her waist. She wore a large gothic looking ruby and gold necklace with spikes emphasizing the placement of the gems. All in all she was quite stunning and looked truly like what I would envision an Italian model to be.

"Will you be reporting to Aro yourself, Jane or are you going to give me the pleasure of taking this conversation to him?" she asks, her voice smooth.

"Sulpi-" Jane starts with a whine but the woman cuts her off abruptly.

"I am your mistress or your lady Jane and you have been aware of thus for centuries. You _will_ address me as such. Aro has given you much too long a leash, and you are very closely pushing the edge of what we the Volturi will tolerate."

"I am Master Aro's most valued guard!" Jane protests back her hands clenched into fists at her side. I can tell that she is trying to hold herself back from either physically or mentally attacking the vampire before her.

"Ha!" the woman in red laughs "Isabella is right, you are only good for your little mind trick, Jane. You do not need your limbs to activate that. Plus, Alec's power is just as useful and there are other affective methods of torturing vampires if needed. No, infant, you are completely expendable. You often forget that I am Aro's wife and mate. He will choose me over you every time, sire or not. And your hateful mouth and uncouth attitude are pushing my patience. Continue on and I'll convince my husband to let me take your heart from your chest, preserve it in resin and make a belt out of it to match my charm bracelet. So, once more Jane- will you be reporting to Aro or shall I?"

Sulpicia- for that is who I have finally worked out this vampire to be- has such an iron core to her words, and a casual acceptance of torture that I flinch at her description. Just because I know it's real doesn't mean I want to know about it, not to mention I'm trying to keep my mind from shifting into flashbacks featuring blood and screams.

Jane honestly looks like a defiant scolded child as she stands before us. She has such a mulish look on her face I can almost see the angry red skin and the steam rolling from her ears as she glares.

"I will go to Aro, Mistress Sulpicia," Jane grinds out between her clenched teeth.

"See that you do, immediately. And if I find out that you orchestrated this: as a chance to speak to Isabella, the meeting with the Cosa Nostra and Heidi being late after being informed by your brother, Jane both you and he will feel our wrath. Go."

Jane grimaces slightly before nodding her head at Sulpicia and blurring away.

"Heidi," Sulpicia then states causing yet another female vampire to join us in the courtyard from thin air.

"Yes, Lady Sulpicia," she states almost nervously. She is the vampire I have seen the most of other than Marcus since I have arrived here, as I bypass her when I enter my room and usually she is the one that delivers my meals. Heidi has never actually spoken to me though.

"You will report to Marcus and explain to him exactly why you left his human mate unguarded when it was your duty to do so in the presence of an agitated vampire. Do not leave anything out, like how you stood there just out of sight or range to do anything useful for almost the entire conversation between Isabella and Jane," Sulpicia orders her coldly. Heidi's eyes look like they have welled with venom but she bows to Sulpicia respectfully.

"Yes, Mistress. Do require anything else?" she asks timidly.

"No, go to Marcus now, I will stay with Isabella since our guard has obviously proved itself completely incapable of doing the simplest tasks. Again." Heidi bows her head towards Sulpicia and then surprisingly towards me before she like Jane before her blurs away.

"Now, Isabella dear, as you may have guessed I'm Sulpicia, Aro's wife. I had hoped our meeting to be less structured but such is life," Sulpicia says to me coming towards me. She pauses momentarily once she is within arms reach before slowly reaching out for my hands and tilting her head to kiss my cheek hello. Catching onto the meaning of her actions partway through I don't start as I would with meeting most new people and instead briefly return the gesture though somewhat awkwardly. Sulpicia lets go of my one hand and briefly pats the other before releasing me completely.

"Come, let us get to know one another. There is a lovely little patio set two courtyards down by a small pond you may enjoy."

BPOV

Talking to Sulpicia is surprisingly easy. There is something soothing about her personality and she gives off a sense of trustworthiness. Part of this comes from her forthcoming and honest relation of what her first impression of me was. She had explained that both her and Athenodora had been beyond shocked at Marcus' reaction to my presence and that they were truly disturbed by the fact I might take advantage of him. She had gone on to say that Marcus had not been so lively and interactive since Didyme died but that he had always cared for the family and thus Athenodora and herself were quite protective of him- especially since they had _never_ heard of a vampire having more than a single mate. She then sincerely thanked me for being open to the idea of having Marcus as a mate.

Eventually our talk came around to our current conversation about Aro's reaction to my blank mind.

"He's been ecstatic since trying to read you the first time. There is nothing more Aro appreciates more than a puzzle. Which truly I think is part of the reason he so insisted on working with me to guard some of my thoughts. It took me over a decade to finally get the technique down but I think it has helped Aro not to have so much bombard him every time he touches me. That is one of the things I can remember him saying he liked about me when we first met- that I had an orderly mind," she laughs lightly, "so, Bella you can see why he is so enamored about the fact that there is someone whose entire mind is unavailable to him."

"Well I doubt it is order that makes my mind unreadable. From before I know that what ever it is only applies to my mental processes. The coven I was with had some gifted members and talents that affected my body still worked on me unfortunately. And I can't control whatever it is- it's always on even when I sleep. I think it has to do with genetics and my personality honestly. My father was always very quiet- kept to himself, uncomfortable with emotions that sort of thing. I got much of my need for solitude from him. My mother is stubborn as hell which I also got. Put it together with feeling disconnected to most everyone around me my entire life and maybe that's the reason my brain is the way it is." Sulpicia nodded in understanding.

"I hope you do not mind me asking, but is your mother still living?"

I sighed leaning back a little in the pretty metal garden chair- though they were obviously not made for comfort.

"I don't mind, I'm sure you have some questions on what you heard. Yes, Renee is still alive. We just don't speak to one another anymore."

"Something to do with the loan shark?" Sulpicia pushes slightly. I laugh bitterly.

"Partially yes."

"You do not have to tell me Isabella if you do not wish to. I know the pain of reliving experiences through words, but I also know that sometimes the burden becomes lighter with each accounting. It is something you must find the balance to yourself. However though we have not known one another long I will tell you that this family keeps each others secrets. We'll likely talk about it to each other of course but as you can likely extrapolate from how I interacted with Heidi and Jane we are quite private. It's not that we're anti-social we have friends and allies around the world- it is simply that vampires rarely get along well enough in large groups for an extended period of time. Marcus may have mentioned as much when he explained how bonds work to you."

I nod in reply taking in what she is saying. On one hand Sulpicia is quite easy to get along with, she seemed like the type to be a great listener. I suppose with a husband like Aro one would have to have that particular skill. I'd only be required to speak of it once- via Aro and the entire Volturi would know, and I really am at fault for bringing up the entire situation with my mother. Plus I really do need to talk about it if I'm going to randomly whip it out in conversation with aggressive vampires.

On the other hand there is the fact that trusting vampires hasn't even gotten me anywhere good (except the Volturi library, but I've decided to ignore that for the sake of argument); and a part of me does not want them to find out how screwed up I am in the head and find me lacking. That I should be stronger, should have done more, etc. That I am pathetic and am not worth their time, and after only a few days that is something I find hard to even comprehend.

Sulpicia must see the indecision on my face because she softly speaks again, "I know what it is to kill someone Isabella. I also know how it is to feel helpless, powerless and worthless. I have lived a long time and done things that I can't believe that I myself have done- in both positive and negative lights. I doubt very much that anything you say will shock me or make me think less of you. Instead I quite think you perceive yourself lowly enough for the both of us."

"I prefer to think of myself as a realist," I weakly protest. Sulpicia laughs lightly.

"Then as a realist, realize that the millennia old vampire across from you has seen pretty much everything. Plus I got bored about five years ago and completed a doctorate in psychology online. Didn't even need to intern or anything. It is amazing what donating money for a new library will do- and I was able to use Aro's multiple memories as my case studies for my thesis. That was a fun little project. So dear really at least give me a try, hmm?" she says smirking kindly at me.

I decide she's likely speaking the truth and to just take the plunge- focusing particularly on not thinking about the consequences this might have.

"I had a bit of a breakdown after they left. I zoned out is the best way to put it. Real life wasn't quite as real anymore, and people that I finally felt I fit in with abandoned on a whim it seemed. Charlie, my father, was surprisingly good about it. As I said he normally wasn't good with emotions and dealing with my lack of them was difficult on him. Not to mention the nightmares. Being left alone in the forest, not measuring up to their coven's standard, James the hunter biting me and the burning of his venom in my veins as he laughed. The dreams varied and blended together- they still do only with events from my time with the wolves mixed in.

Eventually my father told me about how he dealt with Renee when she left. How he threw himself into work and shot up through the ranks- made chief of police faster than anyone could ever remember it happening. Something like third fastest on record in the last forty years. He asked me if there was anything at all I wanted to do with myself. A hobby or interest I ever wanted to explore. Renee once decided she was going to be a pianist for about a week. I of course learned right beside her. I was disappointed when she decided to take up pottery instead. Then of course there was the fact that Ed-Edward played classical. So I decided to better myself- see if I could live up to their immeasurably high standard of perfection- and took lessons.

Charlie would drive me, bought me a cheap plug in keyboard to practice on and listened to me butcher countless songs. But slowly I began to enjoy the music and the playing for itself. Added singing to it to complicate things a bit- carry both a tune and the melody. I had never been closer to my father than during those six months. I still had good and bad days but things were better for a time. Then one night just after dinner someone started pounding at the door. Dad picked up his service gun in it's holster and tucked it into the back of his pants, pulling his fleece overtop of it. See no one hammers on doors like that in small town America. Not unless something has really gone down the fucking tubes.

He opened the door and was met with a right hook to his jaw and a knee to his stomach. He didn't get a chance to do anything other than grunt in pain before the two of them forced there way in. I of course stupidly got up from the table and ran to see what all the noise was about. I screamed when I saw the two of them. Turned and was beginning to run in the other direction- for what I have no clue when they yelled after me that if I didn't shut up and come back they were going to kill him. I froze long enough to hear them release the safety on one of their guns.

One of the guys grabbed my arm and they forced us into the living room. I was thrown onto the couch before he left to get a chair for the kitchen. The other man had a gun to my father's head so I stayed still. They tied Charlie's arms behind his back to the chair before the one left on the other's order to stand guard outside. That's when dad demanded to know why they were at our house, wanted to know what they wanted. The man laughed. He said "Did Renee not give you the heads up? We're here to collect our $35, 000 dollars."

I remember just looking at the man in wide-eyed horror while dad asked "Thirty-five thousand dollars for what?"

He laughed again. "To pay back her loan. Miss Renee assured us that her pretty little daughter in this ass-fuck town had a rich boyfriend who would pay us back. Plus interest. So after we roughed her up a little we took a road trip up here to this god-forsaken place."

My eyes I'm sure were huge by this point and I can remember gasping. See Edward had insisted on going to Florida to stay with my mother for a week while we were trying to avoid James. Didn't work too well of course, but Renee picked up right away that he was well off. It was humiliating when she tried to compliment me on it as though how much money he had was some huge accomplishment on my part. He didn't help either, insisting on paying for things that he really had no right to pay for- like her and Phil's bills for the month, which just made her attitude worse. But that she sent these people to us when she knew very well that _they_ had all moved away was something I just couldn't wrap my mind around.

I can remember looking at my dad having no freaking clue on what to say in response to this information. His bleeding lip was starting to clot and there was a slow building of sorrow and anger darkening his eyes. He spoke next though "Her boyfriend moved away, I'll pay it though. Just let my daughter leave."

The man started shaking his head in a faux disappointed manner and Charlie's head whipped back as he was back-handed. "No, I think we'll keep her here where we can keep an eye on her. You and I will take a trip to the closest bank." Charlie shook his head and explained that the bank would be closed by now and wouldn't open until 8:00 a.m. the next morning. The guy cursed and hit him hard enough over the back of the head to knock him out.

He then turned and grabbed me pulling me so close to him I could smell he hadn't bathed in a while. "If you move an inch from this couch I will kill your father, beat the shit out of you, let Ray out there have some fun and then sell you to the highest fuckin' bidder so you can spend the rest of your life as filthy worthless whore. Do you understand me?"

I didn't answer just nodded. I swear I almost pissed myself in that moment. Charlie was unconscious and hurt just feet from me, leaving me essentially alone with them. I must have looked suitably frightened as he dropped me before turning and leaving the room yelling out to his partner.

A few minutes of me trembling on the couch and Charlie finally started to come around. He moaned a few times before his eyes started to shift.

"Dad? Daddy?" I can remember calling softly to him. He shook his head a few times before looking blearily at me.

"I'm awake baby girl. He knock me out?" he calmly whispered back to me. I nodded jerkily in answer.

He then started to squirm in his seat working his hands a bit when we heard an outraged yell from the front porch.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN HE'S THE FUCKIN' POLICE CHIEF?"

Dad moved quicker and I heard a loud thunk. He'd gotten his gun out of the back of his waist band and dropped it to the floor. Somehow he managed to get the thing forward enough that he was able to move it with his foot into a good place to kick it. It skittered across the floor to me stopping just slightly beneath the couch.

"You know what to do Bella. These guys mean business and we don't have enough time for me to get out of these ropes- if I even can."

I know I was shaking my head by this point at him.

"Yes, yes you can. Pick up the gun. When he comes back in here and I distract him you need to shoot him Bells. Perps like these don't leave loose ends like law enforcement officers knowing their faces. Now Bella."

I reacted on instinct to the order in his voice, never having heard him speak like that to me before. I scrambled for the weapon and fumbled the holster off of it before shoving that down the side of the couch cushions. I remember the sound of angry footsteps coming closer to us as I gripped the handle of the gun turning off the safety. I shoved my one hand holding it under a pillow on the couch as the leader of the two men rounded the corner to enter the room again.

"I love you, Bella," dad said to me and I can barely remember my murmured "Love you too, daddy."

Charlie didn't even get time to attempt distracting him as the man lashed out at him. He was screaming obscenities as he did so. I shifted out of sight range slowly- not that it mattered I don't think, his focus was blindly on beating the crap out of my father. I was shaking as I stood and aimed the gun.

I knew exactly what to do. My dad had insisted on teaching me saying that "No responsible American police officer should have a teenager in the house who doesn't know how to respect, handle and shoot a gun."

I was too slow though. And my aim was off slightly. I hit him in the shoulder just as he took out his own gun. He jerked, swore loudly raised his gun and shot my father in the head just as I had adjusted my aim.

My shot left the barrel less than a second after his, his blood and brain matter splattering across the wall mixing inseparably with my father's. My focus had narrowed completely by this point- I remember feeling completely numb as I heard shouts from the other man and his running approach to the room.

He rounded the corner and I stood waiting for him, braced to absorb as much of the recoil from the gun as I could. The first bullet that entered his chest caused him to stumble. I can remember his face, partially slack with surprise and twisted with realization. I kept aim on him and continued to shoot him as he crumpled to the floor. Continued even as he lay there and bled out of the wood below, until I was completely out of ammunition. When I squeezed the trigger a couple times and nothing happened I threw the thing at him before whirling toward my dad.

I collapsed by his chair as he was clearly dead and I screamed and bawled and shook for him. I don't know how long I was there. I know I was down to dry sobbing and was freezing cold by the time Sam Uley and a couple of the other pack members came in. It likely was hours as it was pitch dark when they finally got my attention and we didn't live close enough to anyone else for them to have hear the gunshots go off.

The next couple days were a blur. I remember speaking a few times but nothing about the details of the conversation or to whom I was speaking. After I accidently found out about the pack, Sam told me that the pack had been having issues with a vampire trying to come close. That it had been the reason for the increase in animal attacks in the area. They had caught the scent of it that night and where following the trail when it sharply swerved towards our house. That a small distance later they picked up the scent of fresh human blood too and sent out an alarm. It had been that which lead to my discovery.

When I was finally coherent enough to phone my mother about the funeral and ask her what the hell she was thinking, well the conversation didn't end positively. She insisted that Charlie as a police officer should have been able to handle it, and that my killing the men was going to cause a lot of grief and hardship for her. When I refused to give her any of the money that came from his life insurance she blew her top. Called me ungrateful and selfish. Told me she was likely to die in a gutter without it. But I just couldn't give it to her. She had sent those men to us with no warning, knowing very well that I barely had a collage fund and that Charlie didn't make much in such a small town. I hung up on her. Her reaction and lack of support sealed the deal so to speak.

I had been the parent in our relationship for most of my life. She always insisted I was born with the personality of a forty-year old but being responsible for packing your own lunch for kindergarten and reminding your own mother to pay the gas bill, or cleaning up after her drinking binge caused by yet another failed relationship with a man ages someone I think. And I guess I finally reached my limit.

So yes. That's why I don't speak to my mother."

Looking up I realize that I hadn't even been focused on Sulpicia that entire rendition. Across from me her eyes have welled with venom and I find my own face flooded with tears.

Sulpicia then opens her arms "I think we both need a hug now, no?" and I stumble across into her arms and am embraced in a way that heals just a little of my broken soul.

**AN 1: The meaning of the Freesia flower is sweetness, innocence, trust, friendship and grace under pressure- which I thought was particularly fitting for this chapter.**

**AN 2: I have some songs I've been listening to for inspiration, so if anyone is interested I can maybe list them next chapter. Or if you have suggestions on something to listen to I'd greatly appreciate it. The song for this chapter is "Arms" by Christina Perri. Give the lyrics a read and you'll understand.**

**AN 3: Also my pinterest board. If you're not on pinterest it's a blast and I'm addicted. There is an entire board of pictures I've used for inspiration from jewelry to fashion to architecture to furniture to gardens for Until Dawn (this story). I'm adding new pictures for this story-board all the time. You can find it under the usual www dot beginning with this after it /hebrideansprite/until-dawn-fanfiction-images/**

**I couldn't put it in normally because fanfiction hates links. **


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

MPOV

"Was the directive when I first assigned you as Isabella's guard in anyway unclear?"

Heidi avoided eye contact at my icy tone. I am in the conservatory outside the throne room. Not only was the Cosa Nostra not here, neither were my brothers. After checking both their studies (Caius was currently engaged with Athenodora and I have yet to actually find Aro) I came back here to see if I could find a guard that knew where Aro was. I had just noticed a suspicious lack of vampires when Heidi approached me attempting to look as small and chastised as possible. Needless to say I knew that something had happened. Bellowing for Aro upon hearing her stuttering rendition I was about to take off for the gardens when I hear Aro yell back that he was with Jane and Sulpicia with Bella.

"No, Lord Marcus," she whispers out.

"Therefore I must conclude that you fear Jane's retribution more than mine. As part of the guard we the Volturi provide you with everything you need. Endless food with little effort required, boundless entertainments, all the comforts you can think of within reason, and protection against all other covens and rogue vampires. We the Volturi do not unnecessarily risk the lives of our guards. We do not send you on suicide missions, or into places with unknown results. All we ask in return is that you follow orders." I pause for a moment before I ask darkly,

"Do you know what I did to the werewolf that was suspected of murdering Didyme?"

Heidi by this point isn't even attempting to look as though she is maintaining eye contact with my person. Instead she is focusing on the floor by her feet. "I do not Lord Marcus."

"I spent over a year seeing what exactly affected Children of the Moon the most. Turns out silver does an alright job but vampire venom mixed with silver nitrate works best. Put some on the edge of a blade, inject it, fill the inner hollow of a bullet with it or just pour it like acid. The last is slower of course but just as painful and effective. Then after I finally felt satisfied I burnt its pieces slowly." In the next moment I have her neck in my hand pinned against the walk. She looks up at me with fear in her eyes grasping uselessly at my wrist.

"Let me assure you Heidi the last centuries have not been spent with me learning nothing of import. Whatever Jane has done to Isabella I will do to you ten-fold. And let me assure you, that Jane knows nothing on how to hold a grudge in comparison to me." I drop her to the floor and watch her stagger to catch her balance.

"You will turn in your cloak and find one two ranks down. Then you have a choice. You lose your hands for 3 months or you don't feed for 6 months and you are responsible for all human interactions, obtaining food and disposal. Your control will maintain perfect standards as always throughout the time. You will not survive the consequences otherwise. Pick."

"If I cannot maintain control the entire time period, Master?" she asks flinching at me.

"Then you better not choose that option."

Heidi nods jerkily. "The hands then, my Lord."

"Retrieve your new cloak, then report to Anton and inform him. Leave now, and do not let me see you again for at least a fortnight. I can barely stand the sight of you."

Heidi bowed deeply. "Yes, Lord Marcus."

I watch her skitter out the door coldly. I know my control is short at the moment and if I begin her destruction I do not believe that I will stop. If it comes down to it I will torture and kill every single member of the Volturi guard to protect my new mate. There are contingency plans in place if we must start the guard afresh. I think it is time the guard realizes as much.

BPOV

"Dry your eyes- no, do not use your sleeves, Aro will cause a fuss. Here I have handkerchief here somewhere." Sulpicia says to me some minutes later.

"You're a vampire, what could you need a handkerchief for?" I ask laughing slightly as I sniff. I hate how vampires can cry and still look good whereas I always look some kind of freak hybrid creature that was the result of swamp-thing mating with a tomato.

"Mostly habit," Sulpicia admits handing me the cloth that was hidden within an amazingly invisible pocket of her dress. "Although I have used it to wrap items in that I wish to accurately reproduce the colour from for painting; such as with flower petals or rocks. Now of course there is the opportunity to use it for leaking human women."

I snort at this. "In other words I'm an emotional wreck and you came prepared," I say wiping my face roughly, no doubt causing my fair skin to go an angry red momentarily leaving behind an abused pink shade.

"And yet, emotional wreck or not you are still surprisingly easy to get along with," Sulpicia assures as I go back to my seat.

"Now," she states, "Before both Aro and Marcus come and interrupt us, there is a lovely play coming to Florence in a week. I am sure you would enjoy it as Marcus says you enjoy older literary works, yes?"

I nod in agreement to this, listening with interest.

"When we are all in residence here in Voltera, the family likes to make a full outing of it. Spend a couple of days in Florence shopping, see if one of the seventy museums of Florence have anything new of interest. I often pick up several hundred books to tide me over, as well as painting supplies and Athenodora likes to pursue sheet music, books of her own, etc. And of course we both go clothes shopping. It is often quite a pleasant distraction."

"It sounds lovely," I agree softly, not entirely sure if he is informing me that they will be going and I am to stay here, or that I am required to come. Not that I could afford to do much. I understand that Marcus and Aro said they would provide for me, but basic needs and touring about the capital of Italy visiting stores, as well as going to the theatre are very different things. Not to mention I really don't like cities all that much.

"Excellent, then we can pick you up a ball gown when we go," Sulpicia states.

I stare at her with wide eyes for a second. "Sulpicia, please don't take this the wrong way but I'm not entirely sure it would be a good idea for me to go."

Sulpicia's face becomes serious, "Why not, darling? You would be interested no? It is just for fun, and I know both Athenadora and I wish to get to know you better."

"I just, I'm not so good with crowds. And I can't really afford it. I honestly have no idea how I'm going to leave the country eventually as I'm here illegally, and completely broke. Not to mention this sounds like something you traditionally do as a family. I don't want to intrude, besides I'm sure you already have tickets and everything."

Sulpicia looks at me seriously for a long moment before gently patting my hand that rests on the table between us. "Bella, I think you need to speak to Marcus about exactly what it means for you to be his mate. Until then we will leave this for now. However, I want you to know that we all really would like you to come with us."

I'm sure I look confused as I furrow my brow at her attempting to decode what exactly she means, but eventually I just nod. It is quiet for a minute and I silently listen to a nearby bird singing sweetly before I decide to bring up something that caught my attention this morning.

"Sulpicia, would you be able to tell me if there is a clinic nearby?"

Sulpicia tilts her head questioningly, "What type of clinic, Bella? You'll have to be more specific I'm afraid I do not spend much time normally around humans."

"Oh, right. I mean a medical clinic, like where I can see a doctor for free."

She leans forward visibly scanning me, "Are you ill? If you need medical care we will obtain a good doctor for you, you will not need to see one giving his services to the poor." Sulpicia looks both insulted and concerned now and I realize that something has gone wrong in the communication between us.

"No, no, it's not like that. Umm, see I'm running low on my medication. I only have about a single week's worth if I space it out, though if the revelations continue at the pace they have been for the last couple days I might only make it another three days. See in the States it's usually quicker to just go to a clinic to see a doctor and refill a prescription than to book an appointment to see one's personal physician. Not to mention they'll likely ask less questions than a doctor that is less busy."

"I'll speak to Aro, Bella. He'll arrange it for you, I promise. Try not to fret in the meantime now though, as I can tell it is something that worries you."

"Thanks. I've never been anywhere but Mexico and the United States, so I'm a little lost as to how to go about things."

"You're welcome Bella. Mostly we have the guards retrieve anything we need but I'm sure I can find a computer for you and you can order some essentials online. Online shopping has been a blessing for us as vampires. Almost everything can be delivered and we don't need to risk exposure. Plus there are some lovely artisans

online that I normally would have never discovered."

"I've never done much shopping- and never online. Our internet was always extremely slow, so I only really used it for research or e-mail."

"You'll pick it up easily, I somehow managed and I'm about as old as dirt. I'll make sure you have the address we use for shipping and a card number. If you have any issues either Athenodora or I can help. Athenodora in particular is quite fond of clothes shopping online- she's always bothering the guard as to whether anything has arrived for her. Did you end up liking the shoes she found for you?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "These purple ones are perfect. I've only worn them a couple hours of course, but they're sturdy enough that they protect my feet even when I trip or accidently kick things, but they're low enough around the ankle so I can still move easily. I wish I had some of these years ago."

"I'm glad they are what you need, Bella. Athenodora will be pleased to hear how happy you are with them."

I pause for a moment catching sight of a charm bracelet that Sulpicia is wearing. "Is that the bracelet you threatened Jane with earlier?" I ask tentatively, not entirely sure how Sulpicia will take the topic coming up again.

Thankfully, Sulpicia laughs, her voice rich and deep. "Here," she states undoing the clasp on the bracelet and handing it to me. The chain is white gold I'm pretty sure, and there is a garnet hanging from the chain. The centerpiece charm though is a highly detailed miniature metal reproduction of the human heart in silver. It is complete in that there is multiple arteries, veins coming and going as well as different lobes to look like a real heart. I'm fairly sure I've lost some of the colour in my face as I look up at my companion again. This causes Sulpicia to laugh once more.

"I would never actually wear any piece of Jane, Bella. Or anyone else for that matter, the heart is a joke from Aro. He thought it was hilarious when he saw a vampire on television drink blood from a heart like a juice box. Not to mention it's just such cliché vampire-jewelry. Every time I see it I'm amused. Between the two of us, Athenodora and I try and push forward a bunch of the vampire myths. Partially because it is highly amusing, but also it continues to put humans off that are more suspicious of vampires being real.

Now, I'm not saying that Jane getting her heart removed in punishment for earlier is unlikely to happen either Bella.

We had an uprising of the guard once in the past. When your guard betrays you, you are truly vulnerable. Take the Roman Emperors for example. The majority of them were all killed by either their troops, or by the Praetorian guard which was their personal bodyguards. Sixteen of the forty-eight emperors after and including Augustus the first real emperor in 27 BC were killed that way. The rest died because of their enemies in or out of battle, the plague or their family members murdering them. If I remember correctly only 2 managed to abdicate. That means approximately 32% were stupid enough to not realize their guards were either discontent or thought they were weak enough to overthrow.

When we were caught surprised Caius was almost killed. If Athenodora hadn't shoved him when she had he'd have lost his head into a fire. The rest of the guard was either clueless and somewhere else or attempting to not get involved. Needless to say it was not a good ending.

After the revolt and then purging the rest that didn't come to our aid, we were down to about a third of the original size. So back-talking and directly disobeying orders here Bella, is taken very seriously. I don't personally have the ability to continually punish the guard so I leave it to my husband, and I think you are likely the same on that point; but I have in the past when absolutely needed stepped up so to speak.

To protect our family and ourselves we must sometimes do things we find distasteful- I know you understand that. However, for the moment, I think it best you let Marcus, Aro and Caius handle the guard. I wanted you to know what is happening. It is easier to absorb the realities of vampire culture when it isn't shoved in your face. I don't want things to take you by surprise, Bella, but vampires require a certain level of brutality to keep them in order."

I nod seriously in reply fingering her bracelet for a moment before handing it back to her. "I understand. I do. Ever since I figured the secret out I've seen the truth on a greater and greater scale. I don't like it but I get it. Human life isn't a bouquet of roses either. Just, just give me time to adjust."

Sulpicia nodded. "I would not expect such so quickly. I lived in the empire of Rome, Bella. Life was brutal and bloody and the people were callous. I had five miscarriages after years of not getting pregnant before I was cast out to die in the mountains. Despite having a human life filled with war and pain it still took me quite a long time to adjust to all that being a vampire is. We won't leave you to flounder either."

I nod just a touch, my respect for Sulpicia rising. "I know it has been a long time, but I am sorry to hear about what happened to you, Sulpicia."

She smiles at me sadly. "It has been a very long time, but I appreciate the sentiment, Bella. It was the way of things then though, a woman was only valuable for the children she gave and how well she ran a house, and that was only secondary. There are many awful things about being a vampire, Bella; but Aro, he makes it all worth while. I was only about six years into this new life when we ran across each other. It was bound to happen us both being in Italy but still he took me quite by surprise."

"He does seem to be good at making startling first impressions," I reply. Sulpicia bursts out laughing.

"Oh Bella, you've not seen anything yet! Aro has many joys from life but one of his favourites is making people ill at ease upon meeting them. He will no doubt ask you for any ideas on how to accomplish such in new ways. You can likely imagine how much thought he had put into how he was going to introduce himself to his mate."

I remember my own first meeting with Aro and his flamboyant words and nod snickering a little. Sulpicia grins in response.

"Oh yes, and you see it took me quite a while to find the more easy-going part of my personality- I was always so tense and worried back then, so as you can probably guess I wasn't too impressed by him right away. He was still attractive to me of course, but I made him work for my attention which I do not think he ever had to do before me."

I lean forward resting my head on my folded arms highly interested in leaning more about both Aro and Sulpicia.

ArPOV

To say I am displeased at the moment would be a significant understatement. Though Jane is highly useful in extracting information from vampires I am unwilling to get too close to, or simply cannot be bothered with, (trust me in that I can tell which type of vampire's thoughts I do not want in my head)- there is no way on this earth that I can ignore her little tantrums any longer. As my love told the little chit, though I may be her sire I will end her myself if she goes much further, especially in regards to the disrespect she has shown my mate. That she is unsettled by a human gaining such importance so quickly I can understand to an extent- though be sure I am not defending her actions in any way. However, Sulpicia has been her superior her entire vampire existence and she came within a hair's breadth of sending my mate crumpling to the floor in agony today.

Although there is the advantage of having Isabella see the harsh truths about the Volturi, this is much too soon. I can only hope that the confrontation with Jane has not set her back in her relationship with my brother.

I do believe that Isabella did kill the two men that entered her home and murdered her father. A pleasant surprise certainly to know that she has the gumption to protect herself and her loved ones when pushed to do so. However, one has not been in as many minds as I have and not be able to pick up on the fact that there are some gaps in the tale she told Jane. Large ones if I guess correctly. Also from my guess I believe Isabella to truly be alone in the world now. There is the advantage that she will not have many human ties to clean up when we change her, but there is also the disadvantage of the way she lost all those close to her. A part of her will be desperate to once again be part of a family- a role we will all gladly fill- however trust in it's full spectrum will be difficult to gain from her. She will likely believe that we are only a transitory fixture in her life. I'll have to think on that point and how to prove such thinking wrong later though, as here comes Marcus.

The door to Sulpicia's drawing room cracks as my brother barges through it. Jane who I have standing in a little used corner within eyesight quickly glances up at the sudden entrance before hastily bowing her head in submission again. That won't save her, but she can try I suppose.

"Tell me what the little wretch said and did, Aro," Marcus demands of me speaking in the language of our birth for privacy. We so rarely speak it that the guard have never been able to pick up more than a few words.

"I will take your input on how to punish her Marcus, I assure you. For now, sit. To see us both fuming inwardly ignoring her will cause Jane more distress than if we are outwardly angry or violent."

Marcus does so but is gritting his teeth. I calmly repeat word for word Jane's words to Isabella for my brother who becomes quieter and more still the further into the tale I go. This is the Marcus I remember from so long ago. Marcus traditionally does not get upset. He rationalizes, hands out punishment if required and moves on. However, you push him too far, and he sinks right back into the warrior he was before he died. Though he stills you can feel the tension in him ready to unleash at the slightest provocation with a single-minded drive that is fascinating to witness. And Jane has pushed him too far.

After my recounting of the incident Marcus slowly turns to look at Jane, his eyes deadly causing the girl to shudder.

"So she manipulated me into leaving- was her brother involved?"

I shake my head no. "Surprisingly not. She used him in her scheme too. As it was about business I am assuming Alec believed she would never lie about your presence being needed."

Marcus shakes his head in disgust. "If you can not trust family, who can you possibly trust?" he asks rhetorically. I answer anyways.

"Too true, brother. What did you have in mind for Jane?"

Marcus offers me his hand and I take it. The images of his thoughts run through my mind and I absorb it all. On the outside though I am positive I am smiling widely.

AtPOV

I had thought after the scare about the werewolves this morning that our daily dose of drama would be met for the rest of the day. Peace is not to be amongst vampires though I suppose. Caius is right in the middle of pleasurably showing his relief that it wasn't I who had lived with werewolves (and using his tongue in a sinfully decadent way) when someone bangs rather loudly on the door outside our suite of rooms.

Caius angrily lifts his head and bellows in the direction of said door for the interrupter to leave. It is quiet for a moment and Caius assuming they have left goes to kiss me once more when the knocking starts again.

I whimper in frustration and Caius growls lowly before we both get up. We dress at top speed and Caius goes through the rooms to the entrance to accost whoever is there while I attempt to sort out my hair in a mirror. I choose a simple black chiffon dress- having a feeling we're going to have to leave and do something official. No one would dare interrupt us otherwise.

It is but a couple moments later before Caius returns, striding across the room to pull on his 'Lord Vampire Outfit'.

"Jane has done something to Isabella," he grumbles causing me to gasp and spin.

"Is she alright?" I ask.

Caius stops momentarily as he gets into his suit, looking at me strangely, "I don't think Jane will be alright for much longer once Marcus gets his hands on her, why?"

I groan at my husband's misunderstanding and throw my hair brush at his head in exasperation. "Not Jane- I couldn't possibly care less about that little bitch; Bella, Caius. What has happened with Bella!"

Caius catches the brush a couple inches from his face before tossing it onto the bed and continuing to get dressed. "She's fine, Sulpicia came upon them before anything could happen beyond words from what I gather."

I turn back to my mirror and slip on a necklace fitting of my position. "Poor girl is probably shaken up, no telling what that poison-tongued harpy has said to her," I murmur before standing in front of the full length mirror to see if I am missing anything. Caius comes up behind me resting his hands on my hips kissing up my neck slowly.

"Sulpicia will deal with it, Beloved. We however are required in the throne room. Apparently Aro and Marcus are gathering the entire guard as we speak. While Sulpicia is with Isabella you need to be present so to show that we are not conducting this inquisition without our mates' knowledge."

I whine a little my head falling back onto Caius' shoulder. "You know if you had given in and let me be a travelling bard none of this would be our issue to deal with," I pointedly remind him. Caius predictably groans.

"I love you Beloved, but you would grow bored of being a bard within a decade, we would make very little money and thus you could not live the way you are accustom to and no matter how much you beg me I will not spend time watching other men ogle my wife."

I pout playfully, "But you play the drums so well, and with some tweaking you could totally rock the badass drummer look."

Caius shakes his head but I can see his lips twitching in amusement as he guides me out of our rooms. "I am good with patterns, and thus can keep a beat. Other than that I do not have an artistic bone in my body beloved, no matter how much you urge me to take up such a 'hobby'. You know I much prefer to simply listen to you play. Besides does being within the ruling party of bloodthirsty killing machines not make me 'badass'?"

I giggle slightly then sigh sounding falsely put-upon. "Fine, you win. I'm just saying being a travelling bard would free up so much time for other pursuits." Poor Caius groans softly behind me, and I cheekily send him one last wink before we enter the more populated portion of the castle.

MPOV

I have slipped into bond sight as I watch the droves of guards fill the throne room before us. I have avoided using it the last couple days as I have a tendency to 'zone out' as Athenodora says when using it and I do not wish Bella to feel in anyway neglected or uninteresting- something that has happened in the past with all my family members from time to time. Especially in the early years when I was still grasping all the intricacies of my talent, falling into bond-sight drove Didyme to more than one silent pouting session. In addition to this I have been wanting to get to know Bella as normally as possible, especially considering that everything else thus far is so abnormal for my little mate.

Now however I have no such things holding me back and I use my talent to its full potential. We are going to be holding a routine 'check' so to speak and it is vital to know how the guards are truly bonded to us while doing so.

Caius and Athenodora slip in with the masses while Aro waits patiently in his chair beside mine. All of them have a new bond, except Caius. The weak fluttery bond from before has strengthened slightly for him and seems less insubstantial but still flickers from colour to colour as though it is trying to make up its mind. The others have similar ones in various intensities though Athenodora's is slightly warmer in feel marking her affection. The bonds are quite obviously linking my family to my Bella and despite my anger this pleases me. After Bella having been here for only a few days her bonds to them are coming along nicely all things considered.

Taking a moment to examine my own bonds I am a little thrown by how much Bella's has intertwined with my own. Her pearlescent little strands, though tentative, have looped themselves loosely through and around my own even circling some of the ones connected to other relationships. At times they even seem to hum in contentment when my own gold one contracts or pulls against her own. I have seen something similar in others before of course, but experiencing it myself after so long being alone is something different.

Aro stands to draw quiet from the guard members and my thoughts turn back to matters at hand. Once silence has fallen I stand drawing the guards attention to me. It has been a long while since I have formally addressed the guard thus, especially without Aro's intervention and so there is some rustling from them as they nervously watch me.

"As most of you may have heard I have been blessed with a second mate after all this time." I pause for a moment and surprisingly there is some clapping from various members of the guard. Anton, his wife Chelsea and Renata being some of them.

"Though it is none of your business due to various incidents it has come to our attention that the guard must be informed further otherwise pure idiocy seems to come to the forefront," I state glaring at where Heidi is standing. Predictably like school children, the guards near her take a step back from her as though her idiocy might be catching.

"Isabella is still human," I say drawing a couple gasps from some of the guards that were not present during her arrival and either had not heard the gossip or had not believed it.

"QUIET!" Caius bellows out over the crowd, causing most of them to freeze in fear like mice. "Lord Marcus is speaking and any who interrupt him again will spend the week without their tongue." Silence reigns.

Nodding my head in thanks to Caius I turn back to the guard. "Isabella is temporarily human. Due to medical issues she cannot yet be changed but she will be. She is to receive the same respect as either Athenodora or Sulpicia or I will know why not.

"The reason we have gathered you all is that Jane believed that she was somehow above our directives. She openly went against orders, confronted my mate and manipulated me. In addition to this she fought Sulpicia when she intervened.

"Anton!" I bark out. The oldest amongst our guard steps forward calmly at my call.

"Yes, Lord Marcus?"

"Inform your peers what happened to the last guards who went against us."

Anton bows slightly in my direction before succinctly relaying what occurred during the one time a portion of the guard went against us. Like a well trained soldier he does not step back into the group once finished.

"And was I at all what you would classify as weak during this encounter, Anton?"

Anton shakes his head decidedly negative. "No my Lord, you took out approximately 40% of them yourself."

I nod to him curtly "Thank-you Anton, you may step back." Anton bows to me before doing so and moving beside his wife once more.

"Many have seen me as the weak link amongst the Volturi brothers for a long time. Those who believe this are beyond fools. I may let my brothers overshadow me but I am neither dumb nor mute. You simply are rarely worth my notice. You disobey me and threaten my mate or my family and your final death will be excruciating and slow, showing exactly how inventive I can be. As Jane is Aro's progeny she is his to deal with, but he has agreed to take my wishes for punishment into account."

I sit and allow Aro to take the attention once more. "Jane come forward," he says his voice holding a sadistic hint. Jane moves from the shadows causing a stir once more amongst the guard. She wears a cloak of the purest white- the lowest most powerless rank amongst the guard and whispers are quickly running through the masses.

Alec who is off to the side manages to look both sick with worry and full of shame on his sister's behalf. Jane herself manages to keep her face blank.

"Jane as you all can see has been reduced to the lowest of our ranks for her actions. Though I considered it the reason she will not be ended today is due to her brother Alec's impeccable service throughout their time with us. Instead both Marcus and myself believe that Jane needs to take time to think about her actions. Jane you will have your head removed and be put on 'time out' in the dungeons until you realize what you have done. Let us hope after one month in this state we will not need to end you regardless," Aro announces before stepping forward and ripping her head theatrically from her shoulders. It rolls a couple meters into the crowd and Aro gestures for someone to gather her up and take her away. I still feel as though she got off lightly but I do understand Aro not wishing to end her when no physical harm was done. To be sure though in the future if she steps out of line again I will gladly deal with her before Aro can intervene too much.

Athenodora I see is attempting to smother her laughter in Caius' shoulder at Aro's use of the phrase time out. To me his verbiage is only worrisome as I believe it is his way of attempting to seem more modern to Bella. That can only end badly.

Soon enough Aro has announced that he will be reading each guard member and that I will be analyzing bonds. He goes on about how he has been lax with them and that this incident is an excellent opportunity for some "Spring Cleaning". Oh joy of joys.

MPOV

We have finally gone through the entire guard and now some hours later we are at last breaking apart to do our own activities once more. Standing I catch Anton's eye and motion for him and his wife Chelsea to come over. They follow me as I leave the throne room.

"Anton, have you carried out Heidi's punishment?" I question. Anton nods in confirmation.

"Yes, Lord Marcus."

"Good, thank-you. I would have done so myself but I knew if I touched her in the temper I was in she would not have survived. Be sure to have her kept away from my mate and I over the coming weeks."

Anton nods agreeably again, and his wife Chelsea is quiet beside him. I stop abruptly now far enough away from the others to have a private conversation with the two.

"Chelsea, I know that you are responsible with your gift, that we have demanded it to be so, however I want to emphasize the importance of this in relation to my mate. You are never to touch her bonds whether negative or positive without Isabella's, my own and my brothers consent."

Chelsea looks suitably horrified at this, her eyes wide. "I would never, my Lord. You know I cannot sever bonds themselves or create bonds that do not previously exist. And I would not use my gift to harm your mate, I swear it, Lord Marcus. I know exactly how blessed I am to be part of Volturi guard. You do not have me use my talent unless necessary and I am exceedingly thankful for that, where others would have me manipulate everyone's relationships. Strengthening the loyalty of my fellow guards to your family is one thing, but completely destroying all other relationships but one… the possibilities my gift could bring. I know the ramifications and I can not respect you nor your brothers more for the restraint you have."

I nod to her and Anton pats her back comfortingly. Her words were exactly what I wished to hear. Chelsea's power has devastating possibilities and I need to be sure of her loyalty. Throughout her speech, I watch her bonds and they often swirl blue in sincerity and steel grey for loyalty. She is speaking truthfully to me.

"I am going to share something with you both, as Anton you have been with us the longest of any of the guard and Chelsea I can see your authenticity through your bonds. Isabella has greatly damaged bonds that she is dealing with in addition to her anxiety issues brought on in part through vampires involvement in her life before being brought here. I need a guard for her that I can trust, as Heidi was quite obviously a failure for the position. I spoke to you Chelsea as I know as Anton is your mate if he becomes Bella's guard you will likely interact with her as well. In order for her to properly heal so that she can be changed without residual issues her bonds must not be manipulated. I will not take the chance that she must deal with the ramifications of one rouge coven and their actions haunting her for eternity."

I continue to watch their bonds and though I see many emotions and hints of thoughts none are in anyway deceptive or calculating in what could be a threat.

"I am honoured you thought of me for guarding you mate," Anton says.

"I know that you have been running the guard for centuries and that this is something quite different," I state.

Anton shakes his head, "I have trained Demetri to take over the post. He can take control with little effort. Guard to your mate is a significantly higher posting, and I will protect her with my life."

I nod and both Anton and Chelsea respectfully bow to me.

"Then you start tonight- set things in order."

**AN: Hello everyone! You've been blowing me away with all your positive reviews lately and somehow I have another chapter already ready for you! So special thanks to all of my readers. Also extra super thanks goes to my friend Kia who has been shang-haied against her will into being my brainstorm buddy for this story, despite the fact she was not able to get through the first Twilight novel. Don't worry I plan to convert her with this story.**

**So what are you particularily enjoying about Until Dawn thus far? What do you want to see more of? **


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

BPOV

I moan and close my eyes in bliss. "This tiramisu is so good. I don't know what you did to it to make it about ten times better than any other tiramisu I've ever tried but please don't ever ever stop," I mumble out around another bite of the decadent dessert.

Sulpicia looked on in amusement as Gianna grinned and I shoveled down my treat.

"I pity you Sulpicia. You never had chocolate. That is like a sin, no person should have to go without trying chocolate. And chocolate and espresso and the cheese-cream stuff I can never remember the proper name for- is like someone chipped off a piece of heaven and it dropped through the sky and landed on my plate. If I could temporarily change your taste-buds back so you could try this if only once I would because it's amazing."

"I'm glad you are able to enjoy it for me, Bella," Sulpicia says before speaking to Gianna quickly in Italian. Gianna laughs and chatters back at her but I'm too busy scraping the last of the cream off my plate to really care. Suddenly my plate is removed from before me and replaced with another with more tiramisu. I squeal happily before glancing up at Gianna. She smiles at me.

"Eat Isabella, you are much too thin. With enough tiramisu we can hopefully fatten you up some."

I happily take another bite. "I worked at an Italian café, you know," I say conversationally. "That's where I ran into Caius, of all the things I was assigned his table to wait upon." I shake my head in continued amazement as to how my luck likes to screw with me.

"Tiramisu was the best selling dessert item on the menu. It was torture to work there. Not only did the other waitress' despise me (most of them thought I was a drug addict what with the Xanax and all), but one of the managers was such a pervert. Which is probably why I was able to get the job, not that it paid well. Anyways, the tiramisu. I would come in and we would cut some pieces to put on display and it would sit there and look like a little piece of salvation and call out to me 'Bella! Eat me! Eat me! I'll make you feel better and I taste sooooo good.' But see we had to pay for the tiramisu, even as a waitress, and I couldn't afford a $10 dessert if I wanted to also have a meal that day. And so every day I would go in and see the tiramisu and it would taunt me and I'd have to resist and instead hand it out to people that would only eat half of the piece, or scrape off the cream. It was like sacrilege, and torture all in one."

I eat a couple more bites before saying "Sorry, I know I'm rambling but as I'm sure you can tell it's been a very long time since I was able to afford to eat well let alone indulging in sweet things."

Gianna tuts with her tongue as she cleans up the kitchen. "If I had know you were so thin I would have made more food. Lady Athenodora just said to make food for a girl, so I did, but you obviously need more. I can take out the recipes that use the real cream and butter. My grandmother's old Italian recipes and we'll have you healthy in no time. I promise. For now how would you like gnocchi for dinner?"

At this I blush. I'm not used to someone acting like a mother hen towards me and part of me is uncomfortable by the way Gianna acts. Another part of me though is basking in the attention and I can kinda tell Gianna enjoys being able to feed me. "Gnocchi sounds lovely Gianna, thank-you," I say. I take another bite of my dessert and sigh again at the texture, swaying slightly in bliss. "So good," I murmur to myself.

"What is good, Isabella?" is suddenly asked in a jovial voice right behind me. I jump and swallow, quickly whipping around. Choking I see it is only Aro who has arrived along with Marcus. From what I can tell everyone in the kitchen is now glaring at Aro (though Gianna does so more subtly). Gianna pushes a glass of water in front of me and I gulp it coughing in between sips.

Once I finally regain my breath I look up to see Marcus standing protectively close while glaring at Aro- who looks sheepish.

"My apologies, Isabella," Aro says.

"It's ok. Just try not to startle me when I'm eating. I enjoy my ability to breathe. As for your previous question, Gianna has highly unutilized and undervalued Tiramisu making skills. And since none of you can enjoy it I've been eating your portions too."

"Well it is good then that you are here or we never would have realized what a wonderful skill Gianna has. I'm sure Gianna will make you whatever you wish," Marcus replies to me, glancing over to Gianna as he says this. Gianna nods enthusiastically.

"Yes, Master Marcus. Give me a couple weeks and we'll put some weight on her skinny little frame." This of course causes me to blush bright red and attempt to change the topic.

"So how did the meeting go?" I ask lightly. With the exception of Gianna, the entire room seems to freeze.

Marcus finally moves to sit next to me, examining my face likely taking notice of my still reddened eyes from crying earlier. "Jane decided to exhibit the traits she kept from her human age and seemingly decided that she required more attention. We had to deal with her and then remind the guard that we do not appreciate them acting out. I apologize for how long it took, sweet," Marcus explains holding one of my hands.

I nod in response, eating the last bite of my dessert before turning to him fully. "That explains the little jealous snit Jane was in earlier than. And no need to apologize- work is work, I understand," I say shrugging slightly.

"You are unharmed? Jane did not injure you?" Marcus asks me watching my face for my reaction intently.

"Oh! No, I'm fine Marcus. She just ran her mouth a bit and glared, she didn't even touch me. Not even a bruise I promise," I answer touched by his concern. Marcus watches me a moment more before nodding once sharply as if confirming himself.

Aro frowning out of the corner of my eye catches my attention, so I turn to see that Sulpicia is holding his hand. Information exchange, just what I don't feel like speaking about, especially with Marcus slightly on edge from what I can tell.

"Um, Athenodora mentioned that there was a piano somewhere, could you show me, Marcus?" I ask attempting to ignore the fact that someone else now knew what happened with my father. Earlier I logically understood that my story is going to spread like wildfire through the Volturi family but the reality of it is a bit more disconcerting.

"I do not believe it has been tuned yet, but I will gladly show you where the music parlour is, dearest."

And with a quick wave to Sulpicia and Gianna, I successfully put off having to talk anymore about my issues for the day.

MPOV- Night

It has been a day of revelations. Sulpicia had pulled me aside earlier- while Bella ate dinner- detailing exactly what had occurred to my little mate that ended in the loss of her father. I have not asked Bella about it, and from Sulpicia's belief that she is ashamed, I will not unless she wishes to speak about the incident. It is difficult for me to grasp completely why Bella feels such shame for what occurred to her. She did as her father asked and defended herself exceptionally well for someone with little experience with combat. I do believe that part of the issue is that she holds herself to such high standards and that she blames herself for her father's death. My mate holds a very low view of herself and harbours much guilt; something I shall attempt to work with her on.

Temporarily I have taken up residence in one of the nearby human rooms next to Bella's. I believe it likely that her night terrors will bother her again tonight and I wish to be close by without her feeling like I am crowding her. I've brought some books to entertain myself with but I found that mostly I have instead been listening to Bella's heartbeat, and the slight movement of Afton who guards outside her door.

Suddenly there are a series of vampire footsteps and the door to the room I inhabit opens. "There you are Marcus!" Aro exclaims. "Why are you hiding in quite possibly the most boring and drab room in this castle- excluding the dungeons, but those are supposed to have that air of gloom."

Behind him Sulpicia and Athenodora enter their elbows linked in companionship, and thus I stand while they enter out of courtesy. Caius follows behind the two, and looks as though he has been dragged along at the urging of his wife. I would not be surprised if she somehow manipulated his attendance, as she is wont to do.

"If you are going to be spending any time here Marcus, we really are going to need to do something about this room. Aro's right, I had no idea how drab the human quarters are. Though these are not as outdated as your rooms. The workmen are coming to work on Marcus' suite in the next two days correct, Sulpicia?" Athenodora asks as she sits on the bed. Sulpicia joins her nodding, and I too resume my seat.

"Yes, so if you want anything out of your rooms you need to move it tomorrow. Anything you're going to use over the next three to four weeks. I can supervise the guard moving the rest into temporary storage afterwards."

I look at the two women before me and raise my eyebrow at them. "I thought it was only my bath that needed to be updated."

"We looked it over, and decided you really needed the whole thing modernized. We're keeping some things the same, but at the very least the majority of your furniture needs to be re-upholstered and the bath needs to be gutted and made habitable for a human," Sulpicia says.

"Plus, Bella needs things like a vanity and more closet space. It'll be nice Marcus, we're keeping both of you in mind," Athenodora adds.

I lean back against the desk chair I'm sitting in. "I can live anywhere, as long as it is comfortable and suitable for her I care little for what you do," I state.

"And that is why we've not bothered to show you the design plans, Marcus," Athenodora chirps, dragging Caius over onto the bed so she can lean against him as she speaks.

I merely nod and then wait. One of them will eventually bring up the reason they have all decided to descend upon me as a horde.

"Right, there are multiple things Isabella revealed to us today that needs to be addressed," Aro says getting down to business. "What would you like to cover first, brother: the fact Isabella clearly does not understand what it means to be your mate and that she is actually part of this family, or that it was the Cullens that introduced her to the vampire world and then abandoned her?"

I froze for a split-second taking in the two differing but equally infuriating pieces of information.

"Aro!" Sulpicia yells at her husband. "We have had enough distress today- you did not need to tell your brother in that way. Sit down and keep quiet before you aggravate poor Marcus so much that he quite rightly removes some of your limbs."

"Those are the issues though my love, and he looked as though he was aggravated by us disturbing him-" Aro protests. I meanwhile am starting to growl quite loudly in displeasure. Not exactly a civilized reaction but I figure few are going to blame me at this point.

"Aro, shut up before I give Sulpicia advice on resisting your charms for the next year. Like the both of us taking a vacation and not telling you where we're going," Athenodora says. Aro promptly sits down sulking beside Sulpicia who just glares at him sternly.

"It's not as bad as Aro just made it seem, Marcus," Sulpicia states turning to me.

"I am attempting to remain patient, Sulpicia but if details are not revealed soon I may have to take it out on your husband."

"Calm, Marcus. Bella just doesn't fully understand how serious your mating with her is."

"How so?" I ask sharply.

"I told her about the upcoming trip to Florence earlier and she basically said she wasn't going to be able to afford it, she was worried about how she was eventually going to be able to leave the country without legal entry, and that she didn't want to intrude on a family tradition."

I sigh and lean over pinching the bridge of my nose in dissatisfaction. "I am at a loss," I admit, "Will one of you explain to me how being told she would be provided for and that she completes me is not clear enough?" I ask with reigned in frustration.

"Marcus," Athenodora says gently, "take a step back mentally for a moment and remember that Isabella has not only completely been independent for years, but that she was highly responsible in both her father and mother's homes. In addition to this you need to take into account the pressure on modern women to support themselves. I know it is hard to fully grasp but women from developed countries are expected to support not only themselves but sometimes even their entire family. They are looked down upon as being lazy, stupid, gold diggers, a burden, or weak-minded if they do not at least partially contribute to the household income. It is very much a generational trend, and I would think something that Bella who has had responsibilities far beyond what she should have to deal with even within her culture as well as being the child of a single mother has very much ingrained. The definition of being provided for to her likely means room and board."

Aro speaks next, seemingly not able to keep himself silent anymore. "I earlier reached the conclusion that Isabella also possesses trust issues. She told you herself that the Cullen boy abandoned her in the woods, her mother sold her out, her father died, and the mutant canine pack forced her to leave her home town despite having family friends among their members. From her conversation with Sulpicia one can also extrapolate that she has not made any other connections since taking up residence in Seattle. We will likely have to work to convince her that we are not going anywhere."

I am silent for the moment while I remember my conversation with Bella in the garden. She had seemed concerned and had asked about the strength of my skin, and later after my explanation overly joyful. If she is as frightened of being left alone once more as Aro thinks she is (and sadly for those of us trying to contain Aro's ego, he is usually correct about such things) then her questions and emotions were quite possibly influenced not merely by curiosity but also by worry about my vulnerabilities. I am glad that I was unknowingly able to settle her fears but it pains me that she was frightened about such a thing and did not feel as though she could simply ask me.

"I will speak to her and we shall need to work on it. Hopefully the upcoming trip to Florence will help some. Now, someone explain to me how we know it was the Cullens that were the ones that introduced Bella into our world."

"Bella spoke of an Edward during our chat earlier today. Based on our possible candidates the only Edward is Carlisle's son. That they are all animal drinkers would explain how she got so close to them. The question is how are we going to handle the matter?"

"As much as I despise the option, I suggest we wait it out," Caius says. "Carlisle is not an overly ambitious vampire, and he would not arbitrarily introduce a human to our ways without very good reason. He has seen for himself how we have dealt with rule breakers when he stayed with us." Caius twines his fingers and looks at us each contemplatively.

"Therefore, even if we are sure that it is the Cullens that abandoned Isabella there had to have been a pressing reason as to why Carlisle allowed it. He knows the consequences of his coven's actions should he be found out, and yet has done so anyway. The explanation could be simple of course, but I suspect that there is something more going on for Carlisle to take such a risk."

"I agree," Aro states next, not looking nearly as dejected from his earlier scolding courtesy of his wife as I would have preferred. "We will of course still exact revenge on behalf of Isabella, and they have broken the laws, but we require more information before going forward. There are still too many unknowns at work here. We must be cautious as the Cullen Coven is well liked by many and we do not want to go into a situation where we will be made disadvantaged."

I stiffly nod. "Very well, though I am reluctant to agree and leave this matter even longer without some form of retribution, we must know the answers to the questions we pose before asking them or some unknown factor may look incompetent and therefore weak. Just know that I truly am planning on enjoying the suffering young Edward has to look forward to by my hands. Possibly the others as well."

Aro tilts his head irritatingly at me, I simply stare back. "You would already seal his fate, brother? Where is the devotion to justice you once carried so strongly?"

I hiss at him leaning forward. "My sense of justice is alive and burning Aro. Whatever else this boy may have done he _did_ abandon my mate by herself in the middle of the woods after which it poured and she became hypothermic. A vampire would easily hear a young human woman stumbling after them, and a gentleman no matter his age or disagreement would escort her back to her door. Edward Cullen acted like a coward, and justified himself by destroying a large part of Isabella's self-confidence. She fears to trust because of his actions and words. Ignoring all other crimes he may or may not be responsible for he most certainly is guilty of these sins. Do not even attempt to convey to me that you would not do the same if it was Sulpicia in my mate's predicament."

"May I?" Aro asks reaching for my hand. I sigh and give in placing my hand within reaching distance. Aro gladly grasps my fingers enough to get the last couple days programmed into his head.

After a moment of concentration he releases me and I move back into the position I was in before. He too retreats back to his seat upon the bed, shaking his head slightly. "I see what you mean," Aro states quiet but serious after seeing what thus far has occurred between Bella and myself. "I only jest, Marcus, in attempt to lighten such heavy conversations," he admits to me in that same weary severe tone. Such admittance is about as close to a sincere apology as my brother gives.

"You have my support on retribution rights to young Edward, for I would lust for such in your place. I'm sure Caius agrees?" he asks, not demanding my other sibling's compliance but guessing that he likely felt the same. Caius nods sharply, meeting my eyes. He then looks away pressing his lips quickly but firmly against Athenodora's brow. Caius- much like myself in previous years- does not tend to speak unless called for, but though we are quiet we still feel quite strongly for our loved ones.

"So now that that's settled (not that anyone was really going to usurp your revenge-rights Marcus, really) I believe that Bella should also spend more time with the rest of us. I don't want her to feel that she only has a connection to us through you, Marcus. Like the idea that we care for her as herself rather than as an extension of you, Bella your mate. I'm thinking maybe board games. We have some good board games laying around here somewhere don't we?" Athenodora questions, completely overriding any leftover somberness from before with her exuberance.

"As long as she is not overwhelmed I am sure that would be acceptable Ath-" I begin to reply when I stop abruptly. Bella's heartbeat is increasing rapidly and she is beginning to get restless in her sleep. The rest of my family has frozen as well and we are all listening to the sounds of one small human female across the hall.

It is not long before I begin to hear her muttering nonsensically and moan in distress. Standing I silently bow slightly in leave to the rest of my coven before making my way out the door of the small room. It is time to sit vigil and hopefully manage to shield my mate from her own mind once again.

MPOV

I sit and watch my Bella as she finishes her morning meal. Last night was not as bad as the one before for her, but I can tell that sleep does not come easily to her. I can only hope with time that too will improve for her.

I patiently wait until it seems as though she has finished entirely before I speak to her, knowing how important it is for her to gain weight. However, she seems to be eating more than before since visiting Gianna yesterday, which I cannot help but be grateful for. We will have to make sure we actually change the woman.

"Are you finished, sweet?" I ask calmly.

"Yep. Gianna really is a wonderful cook," she comments gathering the dishes together.

"I am glad you're enjoying your meals," I say waiting for her to finish. Once she settles again she turns to look at me wide chocolate eyes waiting for me expectantly. I feel myself begin to harden at how sweet, beautiful and innocent she looks, before ruthlessly pushing the thought away.

"There is someone I would like you to meet, Bella." She nods and grabs an oatmeal coloured sweater which she pulls on over her thin t-shirt.

"Sure," she replies agreeably.

We walk comfortably beside one another at her pace, and I make sure to watch her footing as the uneven stone floors seem to increase the rate of her clumsiness.

I open the door for her at my study and as directed Afton is waiting inside for us. At her entrance he stands in respect.

"Bella, sweet, this is Afton, I briefly mentioned him before," I comment, closing the door behind me.

"I remember. The only guard to survive Sulpicia's wrath after the Alexandrian Library burnt down," she replies which causes Afton to groan melodramatically.

"And Afton, this is Isabella, my mate," I introduce unnecessarily. He knows very well who she is by this point, but like many things my words are asked for by protocol and for Bella's comfort in the situation I say them anyways.

"It's lovely to meet you," Bella says quietly nodding her head in greeting. For all that she has been through I have picked up on the fact that she remains quite distanced until comfortable with a vampire- a good trait to have frankly in this world, though it saddens me what caused such a action to become necessary in her.

Afton slowly reaches for her hand kissing her knuckles politely before releasing her, and I direct her to a seat.

"It is my honour to meet you as well Isabella. It is a disgrace that you have heard of me only in such a shameful context."

Bella sits and I join her on the small couch before Afton follows and takes a place opposite us.

"I was still quite young at the time, and toward the back of the group so I was spared the majority of Lady Sulpicia's rightful anger about the incident. It really was such a dreadful loss all of that knowledge."

Bella nods before glancing at me seemingly unsure what to say so I pick up the strain of conversation.

"Heidi has been demoted, sweet and I cannot trust your safety to her anymore. She usually gets on well with humans which is why she was originally chosen, but due to recent circumstances she has been reassigned. Afton has been with the guard the longest of any member and has decided he would like to pass on the running of the guard's day to day activities to Demetri who he has been training as his second. He is going to be your personal guard," I explain to her.

Normally so much would not be said in front of a guard member but Afton has gained our trust over the millennia. He has always been hardworking, forward thinking and obedient, not to mention an excellent leader of the guard during his time in the position. He has also saved Aro's life in battle before, which has earned him much respect from the Volturi as a whole.

"Alright," Bella replies uncertainly. I glance at Afton for him to take the explanation hoping this will allow her to bond with him on some small level.

"It is my privilege to be chosen as your guard Isabella. Only the most trusted of the guard earn such positions to watch the family personally. Renata is assigned as Lord Aro and Lady Sulpicia's bodyguard most often due to her gift, whereas Corin and Alec are usually charged with Lord Caius and Lady Athenodora. Lord Marcus'" he gestures to me "when he leaves the castle has been off and on guarded by me as well as my mate Chelsea who due to her gift of bond tying tends to mesh well with him."

I nod in confirmation to this statement, and am pleased that he has left out that Jane often joined Renata in protection of Aro and Sulpicia. Needless to say, the one that will take her position will be required to go through a selection process created with higher ruthlessness.

"Renata is the physical shield, right?" Bella questions.

"That is correct. She requires touch to activate it however so she is often seen literally hanging onto Aro's robes," I explain.

Afton picks up after me after seeing my cue once more for him to speak. "Alec whom you've met briefly cuts off the mind from all other senses with the use of a creeping fog, whereas Corin is especially stealthy. She has the ability to still be fully seen, yet blend into the background as it were. As long as she is not standing directly in front of you, she will go unnoticed. Often she can 'pull' someone into hiding with her, which is highly useful as well."

Bella nods again, nibbling her lip in thought. "So based on all the others chosen, you have a gift as well?" she asks hesitantly as if afraid she is wrong or possibly insulting someone. I really must speak to her today about being my mate.

"Yes," Afton answers, "Other than being quite good at staying alive now that I am so old, I am able to appear as though I am in two places at once."

"That sounds useful," Bella comments "distract in one place act in another." She pauses for a moment before adding, "You're good at card tricks aren't you?"

I laugh and Afton looks astonished before he bellows with laughter as well. Bella has an uncomfortable smile on her face, obviously wondering if the joke is on her.

"It continues to astound me, Bella how observant you can be and then how you make these jumps of logic," I state trying to impress upon her that I am merely surprised by her continuing ability to guess the correct answer despite the odds against it.

"I am actually quite fond of slight of hand games," Afton admits to her causing Bella's smile to become less strained.

"Afton is well known amongst the guard for his pranks. It is also a bit of a running joke that Chelsea, his wife and mate, is the only one patient enough with him to endure the same card tricks more than once."

Bella sincerely smiles for a moment. "My mother went through a phase where she wanted to learn magic tricks. I would spend hours with her watching her try them until she got it correct. The amount of times I found cards down the couch still boggles me," she offers.

Afton grins back at her, "Well then, sometime we'll have to see which ones you already know?"

They continue to speak and I must say I am pleased. Afton's playful attitude seems to set Bella at ease which is more that I was hopeful for. Yes, I am sure I have made the correct choice in who to guard Bella.

BPOV

"I hope you do not mind sitting with me for a little while, Isabella," Aro says from his nearby chair in Marcus' study. Marcus had said that he had a small errand in town that he needed to attend to and Aro had shown up soon after he departed.

"It's fine, Aro. I'm sure you have better things to do though, please don't feel like you need to sit with me. Marcus already has Afton outside the door."

Aro shakes his head and waves his hand through the air, "Nonsense Isabella, I am not here to watch you as if you are an unruly child. Though if you wish to mix up Marcus' desk papers I will not inform him that it was you who did so."

I snort lightly at this, tucking my socked feet up underneath me to keep warm. "No, you wouldn't have to though would you? If I were of such a mind to do so, he'd be able to smell that it was I that had done it," I reply raising an eyebrow at the vampire across from me.

"You have caught me!" Aro says melodramatically and without a hint of remorse- instead he actually sounds quite pleased. "However, dear Isabella I do believe some light-hearted mischief might do you good. You are so serious all the time. Why I am an ancient aristocratic vampire and I believe I have more fun than you."

I shrug awkwardly in response. "I am a boring person except for my habit of attracting trouble. I prefer sedate and calm environments. Besides with mischief someone always gets stuck cleaning up the ensuing mess." Yes, I'm being a little cynical, but after yesterday and all that happened with Jane and my conversation with Sulpicia I just want to rest. I'm emotionally wrung out and fun requires effort. Plus I'm on edge today. You'd think with the fact that I made it through yesterday and all the upheavals that occurred without a massive break-down I'd be getting better but I know better than to think that. Yesterday happened to be a good day, today is a bad one. This is just the way it works." I take a deep breath, and then continue, "Often if I make it through a situation without having a panic attack I have a less intense but longer struggle on my hands the day or so after. Kind of like how your body is weak after being attacked by a virus. You're not sick anymore but you're still weak and achy and tired a lot.

"I do not think you are nearly as unexciting as you believe yourself to be, my dear. Instead, I would not be surprised if you merely need to be comfortable enough in your surroundings to be able to enjoy yourself. Plus, you are with us now- we have guard members to do any required cleaning, Isabella," Aro teases me gently.

I shrug again looking out the window, "Possibly I suppose," I give in not wanting to be contradictory, "I have not been truly comfortable for a long time." I have come pretty close though when I am with Marcus though, I admit to myself. I sometimes manage a level of peace with him that I haven't achieved for many years.

"And the medication takes that unease away?" Aro questions, genuinely curious if I can believe his tone. I turn to him in response. No one but the doctor that prescribed the Xanax soon after I started taking it has ever been interested in how the medication affects me other than that it calms me down.

"No," I say, shocking him, "it doesn't take it away."

Aro's brow is furrowed now as he looks at me, his head tilted slightly. "Do you need a higher dosage or a different medication then?"

I shake my head negatively again, realizing I am going to likely have to explain myself. "Have you ever read someone's thoughts that had an anxiety disorder, Aro?"

"No I have not Isabella, I tend to avoid touching any disturbed individuals unless necessary. It is unsettling and I can block the thoughts of the humans I feed from by only touching them with the minimum of contact while focusing on the flavour of their blood. May I inquire as to why you ask?"

I nod thinking about how best to word this. "Medication does not solve my problem. In my case it doesn't take the panic or the anxiety away. The pills I take merely make it so I can think a little more rationally during my panic. Lower my anxiety enough that it is not so insurmountable as a sheet of vertical ice I must over come but instead merely a mountain. Many people don't realize that it is still a battle with the aid of medication. Unlike physical illness or disease the pills don't heal me. They don't make everything better or positive. They just make it so that I can function. I've gotten quite good at appearing as though everything is perfectly fine. I am able- once I reach a level where I can think rationally- to distract myself or push away the issue for periods of time. The length of time I can push away the anxiety or stress inducing event, the longer I can avoid thinking or dwelling on it the better I am. Eventually I sometimes forget the incident entirely, or it decreases in importance and thus in the amount it affects me, or I am able to finally logically dismiss it, but it is rarely the Xanax that fixes it."

"I see," Aro says contemplatively, "So the Xanax merely allows you the opportunity to adjust your thought process and emotions in such a way that the stressor is not as important as it was previously."

I nod in confirmation, "It basically takes me out of the pure panic mode I'm in and allow me to think clearer, or allows me to stop myself from getting myself into such a state. I mean the stuff does help, it's certainly not me doing all the work myself. It just doesn't make the issue disappear. See ideally the idea is to take the medication until I am through the difficult period of my life. When I supposedly am in a peaceful time my anxiety will be lessened naturally and my system won't be constantly stimulated by anxiety inducing scenarios. Essentially I won't require as much to stay stable and can wean myself off the medication slowly. But my life has never reached a period of peace long enough for me to even contemplate such a thing. And to be honest, I can't make it through the day without it, and I would rather take them everyday for the rest of my life than have the constant worry that everything I do or experience or even think about is going to set me off. Of course the fact I take medication and rely on it so heavily seems to put others on edge."

"How does that possibly put others off, Isabella? I am not put off, you explained yourself quite clearly," Aro states a hint of agitation to his tone.

I nibble my lip studying him for a moment. "I'm not positive of course but I think it is a multitude of factors. Firstly, no one ever asks how the medication affects me. Everyone assumes that it either fixes the issue or takes all the pain away. I also think it is the stigma of it. That like recreation drug addicts, I use it without facing my problems. That I am weak to require it, and maybe I am, but I cannot see myself functioning well without it. There is also fear. People fear the idea that their own minds could betray them in such a way. They don't understand how I can't control the way my mind automatically switches to such tension and stress- especially when it makes no logical sense. And most do not want to understand- as they say, ignorance is bliss."

"Well then I thank-you for explaining it to me, Isabella. You should be aware that vampires do not last as long as our family has by living under that model- instead ignorance usually leads to painful dismemberment and turning to ash."

I nod a bit awkwardly, a tad uncomfortable with the truth of that statement. "I can understand that I suppose. Knowledge is power and all that." I pause a moment before I decide to just go ahead and say it. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if you just like knowing everyone's dirty secrets, Aro," I say shyly teasing.

Aro grins with a mixture of joy and mischief at me. "Oh my dear, you are quite correct in your assessment. I am rather fond of puzzles, and secrets are usually the most delicious pieces of them. It is rather one of the things that enchants me so much about you, Isabella. I have met multiple shields throughout my life- not many mind you but a fair number, and yet they were only physical in nature. Never have I met anyone that could completely block my gift, leaving behind a black slate as it were. Your silent mind confounds and intrigues me. And you say that some vampire gifts do in fact work on you?"

I nod hesitantly, not really wanted to speak about the other vampires I have met that are gifted. "Yes. Most do not seem to but some that affect my physical body have affect."

Aro claps his hands once, "Indeed most interesting. Of course as a human I do not expect further knowledge of your own mind needed to identify the likely intricacies of the reasoning behind your impenetrable thoughts. Maybe later. In the mean time, my beautiful wife mentioned that you require more medication?" he asks lightly.

I nod looking down at my shoelaces. I'm not ashamed of needing the pills, but rather that I need to rely on someone else to perform the simple task of retrieving them for me.

"Very good. We actually are scheduled to meet with one of our suppliers this evening, so write out the chemical name, any specifications and how many tablets you prefer and they will get them for us within the next few days. All of the information I believe is on your original pill bottle if I remember correctly, yes?" Aro asks redundantly gesturing with his hands. I nod compliantly though thinking about this scenario. Because I am not going to see a doctor apparently, I won't be receiving a real prescription. If I don't have a real prescription I'm not receiving my medication from a pharmacy. Ergo, the pills I'll be receiving will be obtained somehow illegally.

It's not the breaking of the law that has me a little offset- I can certainly understand how cutting out actually meeting a doctor lowers the chance of my discovery within the country or notice from the government- however, the source of the Xanax and the way they are obtained is something that bothers me.

Aro is watching me closely head ever-so-slightly tilted to one side in observation as I think. I'm fairly sure he knows my mind is going a mile a minute and from the expression on his face he seems to be wondering what I am thinking about. Aro is more curious than some children I've met, which is actually quite amusing to me, especially as I don't particularly find my own thoughts all that profound or interesting.

"Well, when Marcus reappears he shall escort you to the meeting this evening."

I go to open my mouth before pausing, not quite sure how to portray my feelings without accidently insulting Aro. "You don't have to answer, Aro but may I ask you a question?"

Aro smiles at me brightly crossing his leg over the other, resting his folded hands in his lap. "Of course, my dear! Though I will not tell you everything (one must have some secrets you know) you may certainly ask me any enquiries that you have," he states exuberantly paying close attention to me.

"Is… is anyone going to get hurt in order for me to get my meds? And you trust your supplier to get the correct thing right? It's just some drugs can really mess humans up more than normal and-"

Aro cuts me off with a couple waves of his hand through the air until I stop speaking. "Do not be so stressed Isabella, you queries are perfectly relevant. There is no need to defend yourself. Now as to the first question, though as you extrapolated the Voturi supplier is not a legal entity, there will be no need for violence when money works much faster and with more subtlety. Slip some into the right hands and everything will go smoothly. Secondly, the Cosa Nostra and the Volturi do many things for one another. They bring us blood in different forms, and we use each other to launder money in addition to corpse disposal. The Cosa Nostra is one of our main sources for identification documentation and covering vampire crimes. In return however they sometimes borrow one of our guard members for various tasks such as assassination, high profile theft, etc. Their very lives are in our hands during such times and they are well aware of the fact. They will not mistake your medication for another substance I assure you. They value their lives too greatly to make that sort of mistake."

I nod a few times with a short "Okay, thanks," in reply. The realization that the Volturi are sometimes the vampire equivalent of the mob in their dealings is off-putting. I mean logically I understand, it makes clear sense from a strategic stand-point but the ease at which Aro spoke of it- like assassination and body disposal was as common as the changing weather- that finally made their danger potential set in. The only comforting things I've received from this conversation are that no one is going to die over my Xanax, I won't overdose on an unknown substance, and that I can plan on Aro not sugar-coating the truth. At all.

Aro nods in such a way that I can almost hear the "Good, now everything is fixed to my satisfaction" in the action. He then proceeds to take a book seemingly at random from the bookshelf behind Marcus' desk and begins to read. Taking that as my cue, I turn back to the text that was previously occupying me.

Some minutes pass before Aro moving to open the door catches my attention. Looking up a blonde and light blue blur becomes Athenodora who happily skips into the room holding a small mountain of boxes and packages.

She bustles forward and it takes me a moment to see another limby female vampire with dark blonde hair carrying a larger mound. The guard (for who else would they be if they are willing to carry Athenodora's things?) places the items neatly beside the chair beside where I am sitting as Athenodora has just made herself quite comfortable there.

"It's mail day! And I come bearing gifts. I love mail day, it's like receiving presents only knowing whatever you are getting is guaranteed to be something you'll like- because you picked it out yourself! Oh, thank-you for your help, Corin. That will be all for now, you are dismissed for the time being," Athenodora chimed to me before turning to the guard.

Corin bowed and left the room, but Athenodora had already turned her enthusiastic attention back at her target- me.

"Now, I just picked some things that I thought you may like, and I believed would look lovely on you but if you don't like anything for whatever reason at all we can send it back. It's just like having the boutique come to you! Aro, why are you still standing? Either sit and admire my taste and how lovely Bella will look in the garmets or leave. You loom so distractingly dear brother it is quite concerning."

Aro laughs gleefully at this clapping his hands once in mirth. "Oh you do entertain me Athenodora dear, but I believe I shall take my leave. I do not doubt your exquisite taste and so whatever Isabella chooses will be delightful. It will be a surprise worth waiting to be unveiled I think. Have fun, dears," he says before sweeping out of the doorway securely closing the heavy wooden door behind himself.

"Athenodora, how much did you buy!" I ask staring in horror at the sheer amount of parcels she was pushing towards my chair.

"Oh not that much Bella, just some basics and a couple pretty things that caught my eye. Here open this one first!"

I sit staring at the bubble wrapped mailer before I look up at the crazy blonde vampire beside me. "This is all too much Athenodora. I-"

"No, no, no, no!" Athenodora sternly says interrupting me. "No guilt. I have bought you nice things because I want to and that's it. You deserve to feel good about yourself and having clothing that makes you feel beautiful is a good step forward. If you genuinely don't like everything I've ordered I'll send it all back or donate it or something, but you have to at least look at them first!"

I blink at her for a moment after she finishes scolding me and reluctantly nod. Unlike with Alice, Athenodora seems to want to dress me as a way of making me feel better rather than because she disapproves of my normal clothes. That's something at least, and she does look so hopeful and happy about all the things she's bought.

Resolving myself to 'dislike' most of the things I open up the package in my lap. Moving tissue paper and ripping off tape I slowly reveal beautiful blue silk that flows over my hands. My resolve promptly dies as I hold the garment up.

In my hands is a beautiful silk and crinoline cocktail dress with a peacock feather design. It's in a stunning seafoam blue with a strapless sweetheart neckline and a sheer yellow layer inbetween two seafoam layers providing contrast. I instantly loved it.

"Oh Dora," I sigh, "It so gorgeous. I don't have a bra I can wear with it as it's strapless but it's really nice."

"Intimates need to be tried on in person so I left them for later, but not to worry. We'll get you kitted out! I'm so pleased you like it, I thought that the colour would look so lovely with your complexion and hair colour. Plus the style is pretty but still quite young so you can wear it on a night out. Now do you want to look at another dress or something else?"

All in all Athenodora completely blew my mind with all the things she bought. She has been completely fine with me telling her that I don't like the cut or colour or style of something. Unlike with Alice, Dora just shrugs and tosses the item into a discard pile. After more than a hour later I am sitting here with 7 new shirts, 2 sweaters, 1 pair of shorts, 2 dress pants, 4 skirts, 3 dresses and 2 pairs of yoga pants; because according to Athenodora yoga pants are not only a comfortable gift from god they also bring out the best in one's ass. Yes she told me that and no I had no idea how to respond.

Currently though we are arguing over footwear. The 3 pairs of flats that she picked out were lovely (as are some of the other pairs of footwear that she bought for me previously) but the heels are a no go for me.

"No, Athenodora I just can't! I don't do high heels. The last time I wore heels I fell in them and broke my ankle along with receiving a concussion. Then about a month later I tripped over the damn things in the hall and re-broke the ankle before it was completely healed. I donated them to charity the next day. I wear things like running shoes, or hiking boots, or if I'm going fancy ballet flats, because high heels and me are mortal enemies and our meeting can only end in a disaster of epic proportions. The shoes are lovely and I'm sure they'd look great on, but my proximity to them is likely to lead to my death or permanent paralysis," I say only semi-joking at the end.

Athenodora pouts and is about to say something when the door of the study opens and Marcus comes through.

"We will be required then to remove all of the atrocities from your presence then. Athenodora, I am afraid we must burn all your high-heeled footwear for Bella's safety; Sulpicia's as well. I will let you break the news to her," Marcus says in a serious tone before giving me a wink. Glancing over at Athenodora I see her mock- pouting and gaping in horror.

"But Marcus, my brother! You shall have to explain to my husband why some of his favourite shoes to witness me in must be sent into the pyre and I will leave you responsible for convincing Aro he needs to remove his 16th century court heels from his wardrobe. I do not think he will part with them willingly!"

Covering my mouth I giggle at the two of them only pausing when Marcus comes over and kisses my forehead. Automatically I lean into him, wrapping my arms around his waist in welcome. For a split second he seems surprised at my move, but before I can even think about backing away he leans and lifts me into a proper hug and I readjust my arms over his shoulders and around his neck instead.

"Hello, dearest," he greets holding me tightly, and I feel secure despite the fact my legs are hanging uselessly beneath me above the ground.

"Hi," I reply suddenly shy.

"I see Athenodora has introduced you to her online shopping addiction," Marcus comments, tracing the fingers of his one hand down my spine.

Athenodora makes a sound of protest, but Marcus ignores her and sits in the chair I recently occupied, easily rearranging me as he does so, so that I end up sitting sideways on his lap.

After squeaking a little in surprise at my suddenly new position (damn speedy vampires) I settle a bit, resting my head on Marcus' conviently placed shoulder. The cool that radiates up from his skin through his shirt is actually quite soothing at the moment.

"It is not an addiction, it's a hobby. One you and your brothers all fully support Marcus I would like to remind you. Aro was all like 'We need someone to understand this new finagled inter-net-web thing' and Aro was too lazy to figure it out himself, and Sulpicia was busy with her charity auction and Caius was suspicious of anything new like always and you were blank-faced and completely uninterested and so I got volunteered for the position. So after all that hard work of learning the intricacies and the minute details and convincing Caius that he really could use the internet for business I found a nifty way to entertain myself and cut down on the running around work that the guard used to do."

"I am not sure that the guard having more time on their hands is a good thing-" Marcus states semi-seriously before throws a wadded up shirt from the discard pile our way. Marcus of course grabs it well before it can hit his head, and a good second before I instinctively flinch, not at all perturbed by Athenodora's throwing something at him.

"Shush, you," she scolds playfully. "Or I'll tell the workcrew to paint your entire rooms neon orange."

I shudder in revulsion at the thought. "I suggest you indulge her habit Marcus," I advise, "Not only does Dora have excellent taste and an uncanny ability to guess the correct sizes for a person- I don't think I can visit you in your rooms if I am in fear of my eyes shriveling up and burning in response to neon walls."

Marcus chuckles lowly causing his chest to vibrate pleasantly against me, which makes my breath catch.

"Very well then, Athenodora, you have won; I am ever so grateful for your superb online shopping abilities," he states just the smallest thread of sarcasm mixed into his tone. I try to stifle my giggles in his shirt, but I don't think I'm succeeding all that well.

"Sure, laugh it up," Athenodora says lightly. "You'll change your tune, brother when you see Bella in all the wonderful things we got her."

At this I nod and look up at Marcus slightly "Dora bought me so much, but I really do like what she picked out. Don't know where or when I'll wear it all- and I certainly don't want to imagine how much it cost- but it is nice to have new clothes."

Marcus angles his head slightly before pressing his lips to my forehead almost reverently. "Then I am truly glad for Athenodora's hobby," she states simply before looking over at her. Athenodora is grinning and preening playfully at us.

"May I ask why you're having workmen in your rooms Marcus?" I question once Athenodora stops and begins to sort out return labels with items in the discard pile.

"I felt they needed to be spruced up a bit," Marcus comments. Athenodora huffs out a laugh at his reply causing me to look at her.

"Spruced up is an understatement. He's getting them completely renovated because they haven't been updated since the early 1700s. Don't listen to him Bella, we've given up on including Marcus in design decisions long ago. Sulpicia and I are in charge of the entire project. If you want you can help us pick out tiles and shower heads and things. With how much needs to be done we can use all the help we can get!"

I glance up at Marcus who with twitching lips shrugs not contesting Athenodora's words at all which makes me smile again. "Sure I'll help. Not sure how much use I'll be I'm willing to try."

Athenodora smiles blindingly at me and nods happily. "Excellent. Now is there anything else we need to go over? I'll have someone take your things to your room Bella so just leave them here."

I rack my brain for a couple seconds knowing that there was something earlier that I wanted to bring up but I can't remember it off the top of my head. Then suddenly it hits me.

"Um, Aro said I should attend the meeting with the Cosa Nostra this evening and I honestly have no clue what's appropriate to wear. Or how to act or anything." The more I think about this the more anxious I get which causes me to think about the situation more creating a vicious little circle of tension and worry.

"Not a problem, Bella. I'll lay out an outfit for you alright?" Dora asks perkily, but with a gently undertone. She seemingly has picked up on my sudden batch of nerves.

Marcus notices as well and is soothingly running his fingertips along my spine again.

"Aro should have waited until I was present before convincing you that your attendance is necessary. It is not, if you do not wish to attend, dearest," he says underlying displeasure in his tone.

"But I need more pills," I protest quietly, a desperate edge to my words. Marcus brushes back my hair from my face so that he can see me better.

"If you decide you are unable to go to the meeting just make a note with all the details and I will bring it. I do not want you to distress yourself, sweet."

Athenodora then pipes up drawing both of our attentions towards her. "It's really not as bad as it seems, Bella. The only members of the Cosa Nostra that will be there are high ranking ones and they're always on their best behaviour. They'll be like five of them total. I've been to a supply meeting before for some of the things I needed for the bat caves. They'll stare at you a bit, and answer when you speak to them but for the most part they are strictly business and will ignore you," she reassures.

"Athenodora is correct, my Bella. There is very rarely violence at these meetings. In addition I will be there by your side the entire time, and Aro will be present as well. I will also post Afton in the room, if you wish." Marcus pauses letting his words sink in, still gently rubbing my back.

"It is your choice, sweet. However, I would like to say I think you will feel better if you attend. Then you will know without doubt that the information they receive is correct, which is something I believe will make it so you do not worry as much, yes?"

I nod, admitting to both myself and him that that is totally something I would start worrying about as soon as I handed him the piece of paper with the information for my medication on it.

"I guess I can try," I say not exactly sure this is a good decision but it seems to be the best one available at the moment.

"You'll be fine, honey. And if things go badly we'll hunt down a whole bunch of alcohol and get you so drunk you'll not remember any of it in the morning," Athenodora says brightly gathering up the couple of garments she's keeping from what she ordered for herself.

I laugh weakly. "Let's leave that option as a last resort, but I'll keep it in mind," I say. Dora shrugs as if to say 'suit yourself' and leans in placing an affectionate kiss on my cheek.

"You'll be fine, take one of your pills before you go to meet them just to keep your anxiety down and everything else will take care of itself,' she advises me before sweeping out of the room with her goodies.

Turning a little to look at Marcus easier, I sit up straighter. "Is there anything I should know? Things I shouldn't say or do?"

Marcus leans back to see me better, then trails the backs of his fingers along my jawline. "Just be polite, Isabella. Athenodora was correct in what she said, mostly they'll be strictly business. Follow my lead and everything will go smoothly. I will not let you fail, my mate."

I swallow hard. "I don't want to be a burden though," I whisper. "I don't want you to feel like you have to watch me in case I screw up." Marcus suddenly grips my chin and gently forces my eyes up to meet his. I hadn't even realized I was no longer looking at him.

"Isabella I want you to listen carefully to me. You are my mate, and I'm fairly sure that you do not understand the connotations of that- which is no fault of yours, however I want you to remain quiet until the end. I want you to take everything in as a whole and then I will answer any questions you have alright?"

I nod jerkily a little worried I've done something to upset him.

"You will never be a burden to me, Isabella. Nothing you say or do or feel will change that, your very presence is a _gift_ to me." He pauses for a second cupping my face in his hands.

"When we are together my entire being relaxes and exudes joy. Nothing literally _nothing_ has affected me as much as you do by being in the same room as me. Your very presence eases centuries of pain and worry. That is exactly what a mate does- they take the hurt of the years and they erase it. You make my existence worth living, Isabella. For that there is nothing I can give you that can compare."

I open my mouth to speak but he gently shakes his head and places a finger over my lips. "Not yet sweet, soon I promise," he says and I nod again. His one hand moves to cup the back of my head his thumb brushing over the pulse on my throat.

"Male vampires are more chaotic by nature. It takes us longer get our bloodlust under control and our instincts tend to be more intense. Athenodora and Sulpicia both believe it has something to do with the venom's reaction with testosterone. Having a mate settles some of the violence in our personalities, but like most aspects of life it doesn't disappear but changes focus. We are protective and possessive. I see you Bella and all the pain you've been through and our mating bond screams at me to help you. To care for you always and ensure you want for nothing. To support you, cherish you, and shield you from anything harmful- even yourself. It is my responsibility and privilege to teach you and love you until the day I burn or the end of eternity." I couldn't have interrupted him at this point if I even wanted to. I'm fairly sure my eyes are wide and my mouth is slightly open as I stare at him.

Isabella you are the single most important person to me. I will never leave you, sweet. If I must tell you every day that I love you I will, until you believe it and then I'll continue reaffirming it so you shall never doubt me."

Tears are streaming down my cheeks and silently I grab his free hand wanting to make sure he's real and not just a figment of my imagination.

"Forever? R..really?" I stutter out.

Marcus leans forward so that our foreheads touch. "Yes, dearest. When you're ready I'll change you and hold you through the burn. I will be by your side through your newborn year and then when you're stable enough I will ask you to marry me. Forever and always, Dear One, I promise."

Taking a couple deep breaths I try to get my fluctuating emotions under control. Leaning back I use my sleeves to wipe the tears from my face, idly thinking Sulpicia really was onto something by carrying a handkerchief.

Once I feel a little more put together I reach forward and hug him again. He returns it, burying his nose into my hair.

"I love you too, Marcus," I mumble. "I haven't known you long but with you I feel safe and happy again. With you it's okay to be myself, which is something I've never felt before. It scares me how quickly I've opened up to you but it's as though I've known you my entire life. Everything just seems… right."

"The bond is supposed to feel like that, my Bella. Nowhere else are mates more content than with each other. Watch Aro and Sulpicia or Caius and Athenodora the next time we are all together. Mates gravitate to one another and it can be intimidating at first, but it's meant to be. Try not to over think it, sweet."

I make an affirmative noise basking in the feeling of being so close to someone who cares about me. After a few minutes I instinctively move up and peck Marcus on the lips.

Realizing what I just did my cheeks flush bright red. Marcus looks at me chuckling lowly no doubt at my expression. He's smiling at me in a way that looks slightly wicked and playful at the same time. "I haven't even given you your gift yet, dearest, will I get a proper kiss then?"

I blush harder and shrug averting my eyes. Marcus laughs harder and his lips brush my temple before I feel him moving a bit. Looking up I see that he's removing a velvet jewelry box from his overcoat. It's black and fairly large, providing quite a contrast against his pale fingers.

"This is what I needed to pick up today. Open it," Marcus urges, pressing the box into my hands. Glancing up at him the wicked playful smile is still there but something more serious has taken up residence too.

Lifting the top the hinges creak a little before the piece inside is revealed. Nestled in black velvet is a silver-gold swan with it's wings spread. About three inches across its head is poised back and high- breast thrust forward proudly. Where one would expect to see feather details for the breast to match the wings is instead a crimson stone heart that seamlessly blends into the swan's body shape. On the heart is an old fashioned capital 'V' with gold detailing. The entire thing makes me catch my breath.

"Marcus, it's beautiful, you shouldn't have," I say tracing my finger along the line of the swan's neck.

"I am going to spoil you Isabella, whether you like it or not," he says his voice firm but still playful. "I knew as soon as you said your full name that this piece was meant for you," he says, causing me to look up at him once more.

"I needed to get the enamel engraved with the V for the Volturi which is where I was today. You are part of our family now, Bella. I never want you to forget that the Volturi name is yours now and all the support and backing that you have. However, I do not wish you to forget where you came from either, dear one. I thought the white-gold swan fitting."

Nibbling my lip I ask "Will you help me put it on?" Marcus grins widely nodding and so I twist and try to pull up my mass of hair off my neck. A small weight settles on my chest and a moment later Marcus' gentle hands remove my own from my hair allowing it to tumble down again.

I turn back to face him and he runs his thumb along the edge of one of the swan's wings other fingers skimming my collarbone. The sensation causes me to gasp a little which draws Marcus' attention back to my face.

"So beautiful, my sweet," he comments before I feel my chin tilted and his lips meet mine.

Our kiss is soft and sweet. He cups my neck and kisses gently along my bottom lip before repeating his kisses along the top. He doesn't mind when I suck on his bottom lip for a bit or when I move forward and slide my hands into his hair I accidently bump my teeth into his. Instead I can hear and feel him laughing momentarily.

He removes his lips from mine kissing up my jaw while I gasp for air before he stops by my ear. "There's no rush, sweet, just relax and enjoy the kisses for what they are, alright?"

I nod shakily and move my legs a bit so I'm straddling his upper thighs and more comfortable. He helps me settle, steadying my waist as I move, one hand remaining on my lower back the other back to my neck as he kisses me again.

His lips kiss deeper this time and I follow his lead feeling close to euphoric. Nothing else seems to matter with him kissing me. Lightly nipping my lips or sucking gently it continues and my hands are tight in his hair all the while his other hand is steady and reassuring on my lower back.

I lean into a particularly deep open mouthed kiss, and I rock forward on his lap. I encounter a lump with the crotch of my jeans, which a split second later I realize must be his erection. I gasp.

Marcus remains unphased however, and merely grabs my waist pulling me slightly away from him but still on his lap quite comfortably. We continue for a bit and part of me is pleased that I've caused such a reaction in him but I know I don't want to go beyond kissing right now. Before I can even think about going farther, Marcus starts to ease off, peppering kisses on my face. I giggle and he smiles at me widely after I stop and attempt to catch my breath.

I lean my head on his shoulder again, breaths of air puffing onto his neck when a thought occurs to me.

"Will the rest of your family be alright with you giving me this?" I question softly tracing the V on the breast of the swan.

"They already know, sweet. Everyone is pleased that you are joining _our _family. They all have managed to form quite thick bonds to you in the short time you've been here."

I look up surprised, "Even Caius?"

Marcus brushes back some of my hair over my shoulder. "Yes, Bella, even Caius. I know he hurt you, dearest but you have no reason to fear him anymore. He is glad you have bonded with me, he just does not wish to frighten you and so keeps his distance. He also has little interaction with humans and so he does not know how to treat you. Caius will warm up with time, it took him a while with Sulpicia and Didyme too."

I nod, feeling a little better that it isn't just me that he has avoided.

"Now," Marcus begins, "Have you eaten today?"

**AN: This is the chapter that just would not end! There were just more and more scenes I felt needed to be included and then somehow I ended up here. **

**I put I think the most of myself into this chapter than I have into anything for years, so please be gentle. It was a difficult portion to write but I'm pleased with the overall result I think. Despite all the many delays and this coming about 5 days late to you all. **

**If you are curious as to what Sulpicia asked Gianna during the Tiramisu scene she was wondering what was wrong with Bella and why she was rambling. Gianna in reply explains that she's just hyped up on sugar and she'll calm back down in a bit.**

**I want to thank everyone that reviewed last chapter. All your ideas and thoughts were very much appreciated and so inspiring. I can only hope my story continues to live up to expectations. **


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11- MPOV

I can tell that she is nervous as she pulls on her matching red slipper-shoes to complete her outfit. Isabella is slightly clumsier when nervous I've noticed, though her being so quiet is a clue as well.

She's wearing the Volturi swan necklace I gave her along with the outfit that Athenodora laid out for her. My sister did well in that regard- not that I'm surprised at all. Bella presents a perfect picture of business formality as well as reaffirming her ties to the vampire world. She wears a black pencil skirt that has slight rouching at the sides. The skirt shows off the curves of her rear and thighs and goes just past her knees before her bare legs emerge. It still surprises me how drastically women's clothing has changed in the last century. From centuries of covered skin to so much being socially acceptable would be a shock to most males I believe. I know both my brothers struggle with it at times.

She wears a scarlet red top with fluttery short sleeves and small folds in the fabric held up by the black neckline. Her necklace is exquisitely framed by her pale skin and the black detailing on her shirt. The red on the breast of the swan a shock of colour at her throat. On her tiny feet she wears the same red as that of her shirt. All in all she wears the colour of blood, royalty and the black of the Volturi. I must remember to purchase something nice for Athenodora. Perhaps something sparkly.

Bella's hair is up, pulled into a sedate bun at the base of her neck. Finishing with her shoes, she looks up at me with her dark eyes.

"Will I do?" she asks spinning for me once. Despite it being at least an hour and a half later her lips are still a touch swollen from my kisses, which makes the primitive side of me purr in satisfaction- especially with her dressed in such colours.

"You will more than do, you are beyond perfect, dearest." She looks up at me and blushes before ducking her head shyly. Unable to help myself I step forward and tilt her chin, kissing her once more lightly.

"Do you have the novel, Afton retrieved for you?" I ask. As I had previously explained to Bella the beginning of the meeting would proceed in English for her benefit but would switch to Italian after her requirements are stated and agreed upon. I thus recommended that she bring something to entertain herself with if she felt secure enough to stay out the rest of the meeting.

Bella nods and trots a couple of strides over to her bag where she takes out the book. She looks around for a moment, scanning all of the room. "I thinks that's everything then, I took the Xanax a bit earlier so it would have time to work. Is there anything else I need?" she questions me, her voice jittering slightly.

"You are more than prepared, sweet. Are you sure you wish to go through with this- you are not required to do so," I point out again.

Bella swallows hard but shakes her head negatively. "No, I want to at least try," she replies firmly. Her voice has an undertone of uncertainty to it but I admire her perseverance to attend, especially in light of her past experience with organized crime in America.

"Very well," I state taking her fragile little hand and placing it on my arm for the walk to the throne room. Opening the door Afton- as expected- is waiting for us.

"Shall I carry your novel, Isabella?" he questions stepping forward as I secure the door to her chamber. Afton, who's nature is quite causal and whose trust I am certain of has earned permission from myself to address my mate without a title of respect before her name. I am only allowing him such a reprieve because I am certain he never would have assumed such informalities on his own. In addition I wish my mate to trust her guard. If she believes that he is trustworthy then in dangerous situations she will be exponentially more likely to listen to his instructions. I do not mind if they platonically become fond of one another in the process either of course. The more connections and bonds Bella creates the healthier I feel she will become and the more secure she will feel here in Volterra.

"Umm, I guess? You don't have to though, it's not heavy or anything," she replies to her guard causing me to smile down at her in amusement. It is sometimes very obvious to me how completely foreign the hierarchy and culture here amongst us is to her.

Afton grins. "Yes, but you may need that other hand. Perhaps to stop yourself from tripping or for firmly tugging Master Marcus off in another direction," he states teasing her slightly.

Isabella stands and blinks at him for a moment considering before handing him the book. "Certainly, because my tugging a vampire let alone one twice my size is something I participate in on a regular basis," she states dryly before looking up at me as we start to walk in the direction of the meeting room we will be using. "Where exactly do you suppose I should pull you to against your will tonight, Marcus? Random deserted rooms? Athenodora's bat caves?"

My lips twitch as I hear Afton snickering at our backs as he follows us. "I shall follow you wherever you wish dearest, though deserted rooms have potential if I may state a preference," I reply smoothly shooting her a look. Predictably her face heats up quickly and she hides her face my bicep causing me to laugh lowly. Afton's snickering escalates to full-bodied laughs behind in response.

"Oh hush," she mutters out against the fabric of my suit. I grin and place my lips on the crown of her head. "As you wish, my sweet."

We walk in silence for a few minutes and when we arrive I am still smiling surprisingly and Isabella still wears some natural colour in her cheeks. To say she looks lovely would be an understatement. Opening the door I am surprised to see not only Aro, but Caius as well standing in wait. The room for the meeting is much like a study and a living room combined with a low wooden table in the middle and armchairs circled around. The places we shall be occupying are the ones of course with the best view of both the doorway as well as every other occupant in the room.

"I did not expect you, Caius," I comment breaking into Aro's frivolous monologue that he was bestowing on Caius.

Caius nods politely to my Bella causing her to start in surprise before murmuring a soft "Hello," in return.

"Athenodora insisted that she found a new genetic trait among her bats and wishes to perform gel electrophoresis on the DNA of them to see which carry the trait and which do not. Thus, she needs the gel medium, etc. for conducting the experiment and apparently the supplier for this part of the country will only sell to those who are from a licensed institution. And so I am here," Caius says his voice partially exasperated and a hint amused.

I hand down into a seat in the middle of the group of chairs we will occupy. Soon after Caius takes the chair to her right followed by Aro on the other side of him. I sit to her left effectively bracketing her in between us and Afton stands behind my left shoulder ready to take instruction if necessary.

Aro leans over and smiles at Bella. "You look lovely Isabella," he states intending to draw her into conversation. While she is distracted Caius whispers to me beneath the human hearing range.

"Athenodora also insisted I attend to somehow improve your mate's nervous disposition, Marcus. I am not exactly sure how much of a benefit my presence will be but according to my wife I am useful due to my ability, and I quote to "scare mafia men shitless just by glaring". I can switch seats with Aro if you wish brother," he states looking as though he is not paying attention to a single thing going on within the room.

"You are fine where you are, Caius. Isabella will get used to you and vise versa if you are in her presence more often. Besides, I would not be surprised if she

finds Aro's _exuberance_ a touch overwhelming," I reply at the same decibel, stressing my words in a not so subtle hint for Aro to bring himself back some. Bella's eyes had gotten a little too wide and were closing in on "the scary man is talking to me" as Aro went on about the various uses of gunpowder in vampire life.

Slightly pouting Aro wraps up his spiel and Bella nods somewhat dazed. To distract her I take her closest hand in mine. Her fingers twine with mine naturally and I raise our joined hands so that I may kiss her knuckles affectionately. She looks up at me and the forced smile melts to a softer genuine one when she meets my eyes.

Soon I can hear the sounds of humans approaching, a vampire leading them. A knock on the door echoes through the room. Aro promptly calls for them to enter and I squeeze Bella's hand reassuringly before releasing her. My face shuts down to the bored mask I've worn for centuries on que. Bella watches somewhat warily before taking a deep breath in.

"Just follow along, Isabella," Caius whispers to her in monotone as Aro greets our guests. She looks at him momentarily before nodding slightly before facing forward once more. Her face blanks well for a human though I can still see the stress at the corners of her eyes.

"For the first portion of the meeting we will be speaking in English, gentlemen," Aro states taking his seat.

There are three men in front of us one of which is clearly a bodyguard as he takes up a position similar to Afton's behind the other two. All three looked sleek and carried weapons, though only the guard overtly. Not that any of them would succeed in using them before they were eliminated as a threat.

Two of the men I was familiar with. The eldest who had black hair that was graying at the temples was our regular lesion, Beniamino. Beniamino was the cousin of the current head of the mafia. The guard was named Gavino and was fairly ordinary in pretty much every way, was his personal protection. The other male was younger, though he still was full grown, he I couple safely place as a new comer to the secret of our existence at the very least.

Beniamino nods at Aro's directive. "As you wish," he replies. "This is Celso, he will be taking notes."

"Then let us begin," Aro states. "For Celso's knowledge I am Aro, Caius is to my left and Marcus is on the end. Beniamino, this is Marcus' mate Isabella. You have not met her before of course but we believed that it would be a good time to introduce you." Aro then turns towards my mate. "Isabella, my dear why don't you begin, hmm?"

Bella pauses for a moment before nodding once to Aro. "I have run low on my medication. I figure that approximately 6 months worth will be sufficient for the time being so I require 400 three mg capsules of Alprazolam in the extended release format. It needs to be brand name Xanax as the generic only makes me sleepy and is significantly slower for dosage release."

Beniamino nods to Bella his face serious and nudges Celso. The younger man takes out a pen and pad of paper sighing under his breath a little as with a small edge of exasperation clicks his pen before he begins writing, not even bothering to look at my mate as he addresses her.

"So 400 Xanax capsules. You want any other party drugs with it?"

The room freezes for a moment and I am about to speak (as are both Aro and Caius if their open mouths are any indication) when my Bella surprisingly speaks in response.

"Not that is any of your business as to how the medication will be used, Celso, but you see I actually suffer from an anxiety disorder and do not have the sheer stupidity required to deep fry my brain with chemicals that are cooked up in some back-alley chemists. Secondly- Xanax isn't a useful recreational narcotic, you can't get high off of the effects and you have to build up in dosage to actually feel anything. Most people simply get tired. Plus as it's addictive and dropping unexpectedly in dosage can cause epileptic fits only idiots would choose it as an option. Marijuana would be cheaper and have better overall effects if I so desired to waste away my mind in an alternate reality. So, do you need me to list my specifications a second time as you were clearly not paying attention the first time through?" Her voice wavers a little as she speaks, but the undertone holds a core of iron. Based on what she has revealed to me in past conversations what Celso has just implied is something that Bella has had issues with before, and that what he said insulted her. Though the entire context is not clear to me, (I am sure there are nuances here that I am missing due to unfamiliarity of culture) the fact of the matter is that he has upset her.

I lift face and growl lowly at him, my canine's extending slowly from my gum-line. The traditional 'vampire' teeth was something I myself had scoffed at ever since it first spread throughout the people's of the world in legend and ghost stories. Why would a vampire need extended canine's when our teeth are so sharp they cut through another vampire's flesh? Not to mention how exceedingly obvious it would be amongst humans as many cultures focus attention on the face during communication. However, about a century and a half ago we found that it is yet another little enhancement that the venom has decided to bless us with. It actually came about in Sulpicia first. She had gotten into a violent and loud argument with Aro over some matter and instead of listening to her and trying to sort the matter out, Aro decided he was bored and taunted her further. She eventually got so infuriated that she threw herself at him in rage. As she lunged for him her upper canine teeth slid down an inch and her bottom canines a half inch. Both of them were so completely shocked that they'd stopped bickering immediately. Sulpicia was dripping venom from her mouth and Aro had a new project. It was not long afterwards that we all learned to extend our teeth. They seem to only be available to ancients (though Afton has managed it among the guard). They require vast amounts of mental control to extend as they seem to be highly ingrained with our emotions and instincts. For myself that would be mainly anger.

The surprising benefit for the silly things? It scares the shit out of other beings, and they are extremely useful in war for tearing out an enemy's throat. They reduce decapitation time down to a mere fraction of what is needed with plain teeth or the even slower method by hand.

"Not to mention he's idiotic enough that being disrespectful in the presence of three ancient vampires seems like an acceptable course of action," Caius sneers out.

"Gavino," Beniamino growls out seeming to have finally overcome his shock at his assistant's callous words. The guard roughly grabs the fool's collar and drags him protesting from his chair and out the door.

"My sincerest apologies," Beniamino states the distress clear in his tone as he meets each of our eyes before focusing on Bella. It is actually quite impressive as the three of us (and likely Afton as well) are all displeased and humans not used to a vampire's presence instinctively attempt to avoid attracting our attention. He actually managed not to flinch at the sight of my fangs, and so I reluctantly ease them back in my mouth. Bella's face has taken on a mask of stone as she nods in acceptance to the Italian but I can tell she is upset from the slight shaking of her hands clenched in her lap.

"I will personally retrieve your medication Miss Isabella," Beniamino continues, "I had been assured that Celso was mature and ready for this privilege but it is obvious he is not. I promise he will be dealt with."

"Or I could just eat him," Aro sarcastically offers grinning widely at the man when he glanced over at him. Beniamino swallows thickly.

"If you insist, Aro, however, he is the nephew of the Don," he warns cautiously.

Aro sighs. "The setbacks of nepotism. Sometimes all the idiotic pieces of the family come together in a single person. Ah well, I suppose as long as you truly take care of the issue," he states seriously. Beniamino nods.

"Can you restate your specifications please Miss Isabella," he asks pen at the ready. My mate does so and he nods along as he scrawls across the paper. Gavino slips back in the room before she finishes, silent as he was when he left.

"Isabella's information cannot be documented anywhere," Caius adds in as Bella finishes. Beniamino nods again and adds a note to the bottom.

"I will make no mention of her, then Caius," he reassures. Caius gives a satisfied nod before spouting off in Italian the specifications on equipment Athenodora's experiment requires.

Turning to Bella I lean over and press a soft kiss to her hair. Now that the attention is off of her she already seems more relaxed. Hesitantly she smiles at me and then at Afton as he places the novel onto the table for her. She then tentatively picks up the book glancing at me to see if it is alright for her to begin reading without appearing rude. I nod reassuringly and so she opens the cover, turning herself instinctively so that her back is towards me. I take her body language as a positive sign that she is beginning to trust her physical safety to me.

Seeing as Caius is still describing exactly which chemicals and in what concentrations Athenodora wants retrieved I take a glance at the novel my mate has chosen. I am a touch amused to find that it is Don Quixote. The piece has been popular for hundreds of years, though it has lost much of it's prestige in recent times. It is about a man who upon reading too many literary pieces on knighthood decides to become a knight himself and sets off on adventures. I wonder how she will interpret it as throughout the years after it was published it has been classified as a comedy and tragedy both. Not to mention my mate's genuine curiosity in the past and openness about traditions makes me proud- in addition it bodes well for her future as a vampire.

Our conversation with Beniamino continues for quite some time covering a delivery of small time gang members causing disturbances for dinner within the week. Aro also accepts a mission for one of the guard to do some surveillance on an ally group of the Cosa Nostra that they worry is being unfaithful. Throughout I do not speak often as I have done in the past.

As things seem to be wrapping up I pull out the folded piece of paper from my jacket and pass it across the table to Beniamino.

"I require information to be gathered about the people on the paper listed. They all at one point lived in America. The elder female was dealing with a loan shark and was divorced with the male. He was killed in connection to the money lenders. He was also a police officer. I understand that I am asking you to retrieve information on a different continent and so am willing to be patient on the matter. However when looking for my information keep why you are searching for it quiet," I state as neutrally as I can in Italian. Bella continues reading obliviously. It is not that I will not inform her that I am attempting to track down what exactly happened concerning her mother, merely that I do not wish her to be concerned until I have already gone through it.

Aro reaches forward as I speak quickly touching my hand before pulling back, ignoring the fact that Caius had to move back in his chair to avoid being hit by his enthusiastic arm. He then pipes up as I finish. "The girl on the paper is across from you. Her presence and secrecy are priority."

"She will also require her social insurance, entrance into the country, and any monetary accounts to be transferred over," Caius states catching on. "Her apartment in Seattle needs to be sold or handled and all paper work needs to be in order. Change her last name accordingly to match the papers of ours. If it is at all easier say that she has married Marcus and thus gained citizenship into Italy. Whatever is most simplistic."

I nod in agreement with Caius' directives, completely unknowing on how the system works nowadays. Though I am by no means of average intelligence it has always been Caius among the three of us that was the scholar.

It is not long before the meeting concludes and we all depart going our separate ways. Bella continues to read as she walks beside me making her pace slower than usual not that I mind. I have her arm securely within my own as she is not watching the placement of her feet at all being so absorbed in the pages before her. I don't mind her silence or absorption while I direct her down the pathways, in fact I find it quite endearing. Afton behind us on the other hand must attempt to smother his snickering every time she stumbles. I merely ignore him, for I do not care how long it takes us as long as Bella is as content as she is now.

**AN: I am so sorry this took so long to update. I seriously had no inspiration for this scene but it was important for me to include it I felt. Overall I'm not exactly pleased with the chapter (and I know it's a bit short considering the long wait) but it's the best I can do I think at this time. Plus it hasn't really been edited very well. Please forgive me.**

**One thing I do want to mention as was brought up in a review. The reason Bella isn't just going to a pharmacy and requesting more medication that way is because she's on a high dosage of Xanax (if I did my calculations right), one that a pharmacist is unlikely to give out without requiring a physician to approve the amount. Also, Bella is trying to lay low at the moment and by going to a pharmacy all of her personal information would be added to the system possibly setting off red flags. **

**And finally Anton-Afton. A lovely reviewer pointed out I had written his name wrong and it should be Afton, even though in my head he's still Anton 98% of the time. He should be Afton according to the original twilight novels. I didn't want to go back and edit it however, because I wasn't sure if removing the chapter, editing and then uploading it again would screw everything up not to mention send out a whole bunch of false e-mail alerts. So I'm leaving it for now. **

**Anyways, thank-you to everyone who reviewed last chapter- you've all been stunningly generous and my heart beats a little faster every time I open my inbox to see a new review. Next chapter should contain Alec and travelling to Florence. Till next time ******hugs****


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12** BPOV

"So how'd it go? Do I need to hunt down alcohol?" Athenodora asks the next morning after my breakfast.

"No, it went okay. I mean the one guy implied I was a druggie and I kinda overreacted but other than that things went fine I think," I say brushing some hair out of my face and blushing a little. I glanced up at Sulpicia and Athenodora across from me then back down at the design books we are going over.

"Come now Bella, you cannot just leave it at that. What do you mean that you over reacted? Aro never mentioned anything and he surely would have said something if he thought you had," Sulpicia states pausing midway through turning fabric swatches.

I shrug circling a photograph of a chair I like the look of. It's a royal purple velvet reupholstered antique armchair and it looks extremely comfortable and stately. Looking at it makes me want to curl up in it and read something with hot chocolate. Purple is such an impractical colour but I figure they aren't really going to take my opinion into account unfettered anyway.

"I just- I used to work with these girls and they saw me taking my pills a couple times, and because I'm so young and you know was working a shitty job and lived in a crappy part of town, they automatically assumed I was a drug addict. Their comments were always so scathing and hurtful. Not-so-subtle digs about control issues and lack of responsibility. Celso I think his name was, yesterday, I could just tell that he didn't take me seriously at all. That he totally thought I was making it all up; that I was some irresponsible liar.

"I know Xanax is popular with people who take recreational drugs as it calms them down after a bad trip or whatever; and I understand that I asked for a very large dosage. I just I rounded up because I've gone through patches before where I haven't been able to afford to pay for my next prescription or literally couldn't make it to a pharmacy for whatever reason and it's a bit of a safe-guard I guess to have more than enough if I need to stretch out my pills a bit. Technically I got enough for about 8 months. But-"

"Bella honey," Athenodora interrupts. "You don't need to defend yourself to us. It's alright to be a bit paranoid if you've had issues in the past and even if you're on a high dose that's okay. You're not taking more than you need correct?" she asks.

I automatically shake my head negatively. "No. I really watch how much I take, I don't want to risk taking too much and if it looks like I'm going to need more than a set maximum then I usually just seclude myself away from everything so nothing further will set me off."

"Then you don't have to worry," Sulpicia assures me. "As soon as Aro saw what you were taking he researched it. I know Xanax causes dependency Bella, but I also know that you don't want to be feeling like you do. I bet you'd gladly decrease the dosage that you are taking if you could and hopefully with time things will settle enough that we can help you off of it."

I nodded slowly in agreement, what Sulpicia said is true, I don't want to be taking these drugs forever even if at the moment I can't imagine my life without them.

"And Bella, if this Celso had the sheer gull to be at all disrespectful even in tone I surprised he made it out alive yesterday. Though the Cosa Nostra and hell even us the Volturi may be somewhat old-fashioned when it comes to woman equality issues, it has never been seen as alright to pretty much insult a powerful man's mate. Nor is it to imply as such. That is basically what he did, yes?" Athenodora asks.

I nod again. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Then quite honestly I'm shocked he managed to leave unbloodied," Athenodora states bluntly.

"He got thrown out of the room," I state in half protest at the violence in her tone. "And Aro offered to eat him, but I'm honestly not sure if he was serious or not."

"Oh Bella, I can pretty much guarantee my husband was serious. Aro likes punishing 'people', he gets vindictive glee out of it. But never mind that how did Caius and Marcus react?"

"Well Caius sneered and said something about disrespect and Marcus' teeth grew. I think. I might have been seeing things," I reply scrunching my forehead as I try and remember exact words and expressions. I wasn't as focused on the vampires in the room as I should have been during the meeting obviously.

"Our teeth extend Bella but only if we're threatening, furious or protective. I don't doubt that Marcus was likely all three. He probably didn't think to mention it as it's something that rarely occurs with him as he's usually so laid back. Hell, you have to be well over 2000 for it to even occur. And I not at all surprised by Caius' reaction, in the 1730's we were visiting England and one of the noble's at a party we attended in London implied that I would be a fantastic lay if I'd just shut-up. Caius challenged him to an honour duel completely shaming his family and quickly killing him. All three of them were backing you, Bella. I know it may not seem like it yet, but you're family to us now and even if you've just been insulted we are all going to defend you. Now stop worrying, you haven't done anything wrong, especially if you mouthed off to him a little. What I'm curious about is how this Celso pretty much got away with it," Athenodora commented.

"I don't think he did really. Beniamino seemed fairly mortified and said he'd deal with it. And if he really did screw up as badly as you're making it out to be and he is the nephew of the current Don then him risking screwing up is at the very least something he'll get scolded for I would think."

"Or hopefully they beat the shit out of him," Athenodora mutters turning back to her sketch. I bite my lip not saying anything not exactly sure how I feel about someone getting hurt because of what they said to me.

"Trust me, Bella," Sulpicia says "the Volturi can't risk seeming as though we are in anyway weak- and not defending ourselves in anyway will seem as if that is what we are. That man is lucky his superior didn't just hand him over to Aro, and you can be certain when they do deliver what we asked for, whoever receives them will be expecting a report on exactly how he was handled. You see part of the issue is that they know where we reside. I mean it would be fairly difficult to actually succeed in harming us- they'd pretty much have to sneak in a bomb- but they have to remain suitably intimidated if we want to remain safe. I know it seems extreme but I promise it isn't. They are very much aware of how we operate and knew how we'd react before we ever went through with the first deal we arranged. Not to mention Chelsea created a loyalty bond with Marcus observing when Beniamino first became our contact. There is no way the Cosa Nostra will betray us without a warning of some sort from him. Now, tell me which of these linens you like the looks of."

BPOV

_Strange how you know inside me_

_I measure the time and I stand amazed_

_Strange how I know inside you_

_My hand is outstretched toward the damp of the haze_

_And of course I forgive_

_I've seen how you live_

_Like a phoenix you rise from the ashes_

_You pick up the pieces_

_And the ghosts in the attic_

_They never quite leave_

_And of course I forgive_

_You've seen how I live_

_I've got darkness and fears to appease_

_My voices and analogies_

_Ambitions like ribbons_

_Worn bright on my sleeve_

_Strange how we know each other_

_Strange how I fit into you_

_There's a distance erased with the greatest of ease_

_Strange how you fit into me_

_A gentle warmth filling the deepest of needs_

_And with each passing day_

_The stories we say_

_Draw us tighter into our addiction_

_Confirm our conviction_

_That some kind of miracle_

_Passed on our heads_

_And now I am sure_

_Like never before_

_Of my reasons for defying reason_

_Embracing the seasons_

_We dance through the colors_

_Both followed and led_

_Strange how we fit each other_

_Strange how certain the journey_

_Time unfolds the petals_

_For our eyes to see_

_Strange how this journey's hurting_

_In ways we accept as part of fate's decree_

_So we just hold on fast_

_Acknowledge the past_

_As lessons exquisitely crafted_

_Painstakingly drafted_

_To carve us as instruments_

_That play the music of life_

_For we don't realize_

_Our faith in the prize_

_Unless it's been somehow elusive_

_How swiftly we choose it_

_The sacred simplicity_

_Of you at my side_

Finishing the last notes of the piece, I breathe out slowly. It has been so long it seems and yet my fingers still remember the notes as though it was yesterday. Vienna Teng's Eric's Song is one of my favorites, because no matter the situation I'm in I find something in it to relate to, and lately it has been echoing in my mind. Strings of notes and lyrical words are bouncing around silently, within my skull, wanting to be released. And somehow I feel that the words seem to fit me even more now than they ever did before.

I suddenly feel a hand settle on my back making me jump. Looking up I see that it is just Marcus and I breathe out in relief.

"You are talented sweet," he says to me before leaning against the side of the old piano.

I shrug my shoulders, "I just kept playing it over and over and over again until I got it right," I tell him.

"Still dear one, you had the dedication to learn and perfect it. That is what matters. Not to mention for someone who has no formal training your voice is very clear. Do you know any pieces that go with violin?"

"I might know a couple but I've always focused on mainly the piano aspect. Why?"

"Because, dearest you seem to genuinely enjoy playing and I would like to join you sometime if I may."

I'm fairly sure my eyes widen as I look up at him. I've always loved the sound of the violin, especially in accompaniment with other instruments.

"You play the violin?" I ask though I know it seems redundant. I just seem to be having issues wrapping my head around the idea of someone of his size playing an average-sized violin.

"Yes, Athenodora decided during the early 1600s that I needed a hobby and so she convinced everyone in the family to take up an instrument. The violin was still a fairly new instrument at the time and Italian in origin so I choose to study it. Sulpicia plays the harp, Aro the double bass, Athenodora the guitar and Caius who was the last to succumb surprisingly took up the drums. It is something that I find soothing and has made it so that otherwise boring nights pass by easier," Marcus explains patiently.

"I'm not used to playing in front of anyone though, let alone with anyone else. I mean I'd like to try if you're willing, I love piano and violin music together, but I'm rather slow to pick up an entire piece."

"It is about spending time together sweet; I do not care how long it takes."

I nod and blush. "All right, I'd like to do that. Maybe when we get back? We're supposed to be packing for Florence right?"

Marcus nods. "Are you finished?"

"Just waiting on the dryer; otherwise I'm ready. I'll just stuff everything into my duffle bag."

"I believe Athenodora has purchased travelling luggage for you if you wish to use it as well," Marcus says. I shrug in response playing with some notes near my one hand.

"It's not as though I have a ton of stuff. I can move everything over though if it will make it easier," I reply not really caring one way or the other. Some new luggage would be nice as the duffle bag is getting quite worn but it's still serviceable.

"It is your decision; sweet, do what you wish. I must ask though, where is Afton?" Marcus questions and I look up at him in slight confusion for a moment.

"He's down the hall with the laundry."

"I know it may seem constraining my Bella, but try to stay with your guard. Afton is currently close enough to hear if anything should occur but I would prefer him within sight range so he can intervene if an incident happens."

I nod realizing the sense in his words. "I'll try," I reply. "I'm just not used to any one being even interested with what I am doing. I am also used to more privacy, I've lived alone for a while."

Marcus lifts my hand from the piano and lightly brushes a kiss against my knuckles. "Afton will remain discreet. As long as you try to remember, dearest, that's all I ask. Now, will you play another song for me or would you like to go finish packing your laundry and beat all the other, quicker vampires in preparations for travel?" he asks with a smile.

Grinning back I reply, "Well, a reminder not to under estimate the human might be appropriate every now and then don't you think?"

MPOV

"I checked this morning and the website indicated they have a Incan art exhibit that they're going to be featuring this month. From what I can tell it spans over the period that that vampire that insisted he was the god Illapa lived amongst some of the major Incan cities. Should be something new to see at the very least," Athenodora comments from her seat along the length of the limousine. She and Sulpicia are telling Bella of the different attractions Florence is offering as we travel. My mate is sitting at my side by the window, leaning against my shoulder as she listens to the two other women's plans.

"Who is Illapa?" Bella asks softly. She seems interested but more lethargic than normal. I reason it is likely for her continued interrupted unsatisfactory sleep at night.

"Illapa is one of the main Incan gods and is responsible for the weather- in particular rain and storms. There was a vampire who had the strangest gift to bring rain. No one ever really figured out who he was originally, but he managed to integrate himself with the Incans and convince them that he was their god in the flesh. He took on the god's name and demanded human blood sacrifices in return for allowing the rains to come to water their crops. It is where the original introduction of human sacrifice in the Incan culture stems from- his greed for blood. Not to mention he shamelessly showed his vampirism off to the people. It is why myth states that the god Illapa was a man in shining clothes," Sulpicia explained distractedly, batting Aro's hand from creeping any further up her leg.

"What happened?" Bella asks. Aro laughs gleefully.

"The real Illapa took revenge," Aro states cryptically. Bella's brow furrows slightly.

"You mean the god?" she questions glancing up at me for an explanation.

"From what we were told the Illapa imposter was gloating about being all powerful over the rain when he was struck by lightning. He became ash within seconds," I reply. Bella's eyes are wide with wonder.

"Oh wow," she says quietly settling back against me, "That's a really weird coincidence."

It is Caius that speaks then, his tone is serious but not harsh. "It is no coincidence, Isabella. We have witnessed things that cannot be explained by science or chance, and throughout our lives it has become exceedingly clear that there are other powers we cannot grasp. In today's society religion is often viewed as illogical but only fools mess with the Gods."

Bella seems to absorb this for a moment, seriously contemplating the words before she nods. Though she does not seem to realize it I finally feel as though we are making progress. She willingly is interacting with Caius (and he with her) and she slowly is beginning to show me more of her genuine feelings. Yesterday's experience; with the Cosa Nostra, being a prime example of such. She did not temper her tongue in fear of how we would react to her words.

Activating my bond sight I can see that the bonds to all of us have grown significantly. Athenodora's is the most robust after my own connection to Bella, though Sulpicia is not far behind. Hopefully Aro's and Caius' will both thicken more over the coming week as well. I can tell she tentatively trusts both of my brothers but it is not a solid thing as of yet. However I do feel a sense of relief, despite the fact her broken bonds are still open and sore looking there is just a touch of metaphorical scar tissue healing at the edges of some of them- we are finally making progress.

My attention is drawn to Bella as her breathing evens out. She is asleep against my arm, dark lashes resting on her pale cheeks. Turning slightly I gently move her so she will be more comfortable against me. It is my hope that she will continue resting the rest of the journey, though it will only take an hour and a half in total. My dead heart clenches at the trust she has in me, as she sleeps on contently. Slowly, yes, but we are moving forward.

BPOV

"Dearest, we have arrived," is whispered in my ear pulling me from sleep.

"'Kay," I mutter, "I'm awake." No, I'm really really not. This is proven when the door opens at the same moment I try and force myself upward, ending with me half-falling out of the car. It is only thanks to the fact that Marcus is a vampire for which I don't land on my head. A couple moments of vertigo and a head rush later I'm in Marcus' lap as Afton who has opened the limo's door attempts to quiet his laughter. All this and I haven't even opened my eyes yet.

"Are you hurt, Bella?" Marcus asks his hands steadying on my waist and back. I blink sleepily a few times and shake my head negatively.

"No, I'm good. Thanks for catching me," I mumble stifling a yawn at the end with my hand. I'm about to attempt leaving the vehicle for real this time when Marcus stops me, directing my arms around his neck before putting an arm under my ass across the backs of my thighs. He lifts me effortlessly as he exits and stands. I automatically tighten my grip around his neck and waist with my arms and thighs, ducking my head against him as the bright sun hits my sensitive eyes.

"You can put me down Marcus, I can walk," I say once he starts moving. His free hand comes up to run gently over my hair. He directs us out of the sun and under an overhang that surrounds the courtyard the limo pulled into. Looking around a bit more it looks like the common area of a very expensive set of townhouses. The noise of traffic and people indicates the buildings are close to a busy thriving area- likely the city center.

"You'll have to forgive me if I don't quite believe that at the moment, sweet," Marcus states dryly. I go to protest again catching sight of Afton and some of the other personal guards holding bags when I'm interrupted.

"Just let Marcus carry you Bella, it will allow him to feel useful. Besides, your eyes aren't even fully open yet," Athenodora scolds lightly from where she is standing in the shade by one of the doors. She is fanning herself with a hand-fan and her eyes are a bright purple indicating she's put in blue contacts while I was sleeping.

"Not to mention you shall need all the energy you possess for later as I do believe both Athenodora and my beautiful wife have shopping planned for you tonight," Aro injects lightly a mischievous undercurrent to his words.

It takes me a moment to process the words but I moan lightly slumping back against Marcus' shoulder. "Is this shopping going to involve me trying things on?"

"Is that not the point?" Caius replies from beside Athenodora glancing at his wife for confirmation.

"No, the point is to one up other women by buying things you don't need all the while hating oneself for not fitting into the concepts of society perpetrated by the media nor 90% of the clothing you try on. Clothe shopping usually sucks." As soon as I mutter this I realize that it could be taken as condescending and rude, and mentally kick myself. This is why I shouldn't speak when I'm drowsy. Marcus' arms haven't budged though so I decide to hide my face in his neck and pretend the world isn't there- it's not a great plan but at the moment it's all I've got.

Luckily Athenodora doesn't seem to care as she laughs loudly after a few moments of silence. "Oh Bella, tell us how you really feel!"

"Sorry," I mumble, not looking up. Marcus squeezes my thighs reassuringly and I press my face against his neck a bit more.

"Bella there isn't anything to be sorry for, obviously clothe shopping hasn't been pleasant in the past. Shopping with Athenodora and I is a completely different experience," Sulpicia states from somewhere behind me.

"It's true we're less about fashion and more about feeling pretty. Plus, I'm quite good at picking out things that will fit so you won't try on anything that will make you feel awkward. It'll be fun and afterwards we can go to a bookstore.

There is guaranteed to be some things that will catch your interest here. Florence, Milan, Paris and New York are the fashion capitals- and Florence is one of the prettier ones. Just try coming with us once and if you hate it we'll do something else, okay?" Athenodora says persuasively.

I think on it for a moment before I meet her eyes and nod. "Alright…"

AthPOV

"We are going to the bookstore after this right?" Bella asks. There is a hint of hysteria in her voice and she looks pained in the pair of skinny jeans I convinced her to at least try on.

"I only ask because I was once bribed with books for clothes shopping before and then after being dressed up and stripped and dressed again like a life-size doll I still didn't get any books," Bella states as she dashes back into the change room to take off the jeans.

"I never lie about books, Bella dear," Sulpicia assures her.

"It hasn't been that awful though has it?" I ask as she comes out again. Bella shakes her head no.

"No, it's been great, really. Way better than I expected I just have a fairly low tolerance for trying things on and I'm getting kinda hungry. I'll come out with you again sometime, and I don't want to seem ungrateful because I am, really-"

I cut her off. "It's alright Bella, you're tired. We forget sometimes that you don't have the same, uh stamina that we do. I'm glad you told us. Why don't we get our things from here and you can get some gelato before we stop at the dress makers. She'll take some measurements, you can choose a fabric and we'll head to the bookstore, sound like a plan?"

Bella nods with a slight smile. "That sounds good."

We quickly go through checkout and pass off the bags to Corin before lazily walking down the street. Thankfully it is overcast today and we don't need to stick to the shadows of the buildings containing the shops to avoid shimmering. It is such a shame that parasol use against the sun has fallen out of style. Not only was it a highly useful way to go out and be amongst humans but it gave me an extra accessory with which to play around with. Plus, I always liked spinning them as I walked. Aro complained and said that doing such made me look like a child but Caius didn't particularly care and it made me happy so I continued anyways. That reminds me we need to get a rain umbrella for Bella in case it pours.

Bella looks significantly more cheerful now that she has her little cup of gelato. She chose lemon, which to me looks like one of the more boring flavour options but she seems happy and it smells quite nice so I don't say anything. We continue on in a pleasant silence down the street towards the seamstress that I want to use for Bella's evening gown, when Bella stops and grabs my arm. Instantly I stop and look at her before looking in the direction that has caught her eyes.

"Athenodora," she whispers and I can feel her slightly shaking from where her hand is wrapped around my forearm.

"What is it Bella?" I ask scanning the crowd.

"Do you see the man? Tall, pale, long thin face, brown hair, long gangly limbs, pacing almost angrily outside the shoe store?"

Both Sulpicia and I instantly look to where she indicates and view the being she has indicated. Sulpicia sucks in a breath scenting the man while I attempt to steady Bella whose shakes have increased.

"Yes. Why, what is it?" I press.

Bella gulps slightly. "Please tell me he isn't a vampire," she softly begs. Sulpicia steps in front of her breaking Bella's sight of the man.

"No, Bella dear. He is human, I assure you," Sulpicia states firmly before guiding Bella to continue walking to the dressmakers.

"Why Bella, have you seen a vampire like him before?" I ask taking note of her pulse and unconscious reactions. She is awfully pale at the moment and I really do not wish to return her to Marcus so close to fainting.

Bella nods shakily before gasping out "I've got to sit down." Sulpicia quickly guides her to a bench while I take her gelato and quickly hand it off to Corin.

"Head between your knees, you'll feel better in a moment. Do you have your medication with you?" I instruct sitting beside the poor girl.

Bella nods and digs into her sweater pocket. Sulpicia helps her open the container and get out the dosage.

About 15 minutes later Bella is leaning against Sulpicia tiredly and I am holding her hands. "Sorry, it's just he looked exactly like one of the vampires that… that was part of the attack with the newborns."

"I'm guessing this vampire was not destroyed by the wolves then?" Sulpicia questions, as she's gently allowing Bella to gain comfort from her arms.

Bella nods. "He was there only briefly to speak to Victoria. I saw him for maybe twenty seconds while Victoria was…." Bella swallows hard not bothering to finish her sentence. I rub her hands trying to provide a sensation she could feel and focus on so she doesn't let her mind linger on that time.

"He spoke harshly to Victoria- which is why I remember it because up until that point I thought the entire attack had been Victoria's brainchild."

"Did you catch a name? Do you remember any other details about him?" Sulpicia asks and I know she is scouring her memories to try and identify the vampire just as I am.

Bella shivers closing her eyes in thought before shaking her head negatively. "No, no I can't it just wasn't long eno- wait. He had long nails. I can remember looking at his nails in disgust as they were dirty and stood out against the paleness of his skin."

I patted her hands gently. "We'll look into it Bella, not to worry. And we won't let a vampire close to you. We're very old and have lots of practice sensing vampires approaching us," I assure her.

"Are you up to continuing?" I ask after she nods.

Taking a deep breath she nods again. "Yeah, sorry I kinda freaked out. But I still want my books."

I giggle as we stand and continue the last block to our destination. "We'll get you your books Bella. Anything in particular you are looking for?" And just like that things ease back down again but my mind is still frantically trying to match a face to her description.

**AN: **So though I'm three days past when I wanted to post this chapter 12 is done. Yay. Extra special thanks to Bella Macleod for betaing this chapter!

If anyone is interested in what I've been up to lately I've been addicted to the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series and Iron man Tony/Pepper fanfiction. And ordering nail polish online. Any ideas or things you'd like to see happen while they're in Florence? (hint there will be a board game just because I want to see ancient vampire compete over something so meaningless lol) Have a great week everyone!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**- MPOV

"I'm telling you it's not possible for Mrs. Peacock to have used a revolver to murder Colonel Mustard, especially in the conservatory. Firstly, a revolver of the style indicated would be very difficult to muffle the sound for, and I'm not sure that Mrs. Peacock according to her biography has the gumption to actually shoot someone. It's statistically proven women are more prone to poison as a method for murder anyways. More discrete you know. Why is there no poisoning option in this game?" Aro asks as he looks at the 'CLUE' game board with great scrutiny. All of us have been sequestered inside due to the exceptionally bright clear day that was unexpectedly early thus stalling our museum plans. Plus after Bella's small scare last night something relaxing within the townhouse was decided suitable.

At the bookstore last night Athenodora had happened upon an entertainment section dragging my Bella over to receive her input and opinion on the various games and curiosities; thus we now are owners of the game 'Clue'.

"You could pretend the candlestick holder is a vial of poison if you want to Aro," Athenodora offers from behind her barricade of pillows. Noticing that as vampire's with excellent eyesight we could see one another's score sheets at the beginning of the game, obstructions had been quickly constructed to keep our own information secret. I just decided to abandon the check sheet all together and simply remember all the cards shown to me but the others were in varying degrees determined to block the others from any advantage as ostentatiously as possible.

"Yes, you are quite right dear, we should substitute in poison. We have one implement for stabbing, one for strangulation, a firearm and three objects for blunt force trauma. The ratio is lacking I think without the poison. And everyone always has some form of toxin laying around, just pour a little bleach into the meal and the problem is solved!" Aro exclaims moving his purple player to sit proudly beside the little metal candlestick holder.

"This is ludicrous," Caius grumbles rolling despite Aro taking yet another guess at confusing us by trying to figure out the murderer and the weapon they used. "There is simply not enough evidence provided. What if more than one of them was in on it? What if the murder happened on the grounds? What about bribes? Do outside events factor in? Why are all these people spread all over the house anyways? Should they not be within designated venue rooms? Is this dead person even worth the time involved to solve the crime? I highly doubt it," he continues to mutter as he moves his little green piece along.

Bella grins at Caius' observations before leaning forward from beside me to roll the dice. She achieves just the number she needs to see one of Aro's cards. "The person card, please" she requests.

Aro sighs dramatically and slides the card across the table to her. She happily picks it up and scratches off the corresponding box behind the books she has up blocking sight. As she slides it back to Aro he leans forward and casually brushed the backs of his fingers against Sulpicia's arm.

"I saw that Aro," Bella points out calmly scanning her sheet again.

"Saw what, my dear," Aro asks sweetly.

"Don't give me the innocent look, I'm onto you. Cheating at a game of 'Clue' Aro, the shame. Especially as I've won, it was Mr. Green with the wrench in the library."

I grin at her and enjoy the sight of her proud little smirk and Aro's genuine surprise.

"I would never use something as plebeian as a wrench, and why was there a wrench in the damn library anyways?" Caius says in disgust throwing his cards down and flicking over his little green man. Athenodora jumps up and grabs the brown envelope holding the answer from the middle of the board.

"No way, I had my bets on Mrs. Peacock," she states before revealing Bella is indeed correct.

_A little while later_

"Well Aro, since you do not have enough to pay the rent I will take all the money you do have, your utility card and the photograph you are hiding for blackmail from 1927," Caius stated calmly. Bella is staring at my brothers wide-eyed as Caius collects his monopoly rent from Aro. Caius has accumulated quite a lot really from the beginning of the game: one of my cloaks that he had always liked but the seamstress had run out of fabric before one of his own, an unspecified favour from Athenodora, all of Sulpicia's monopoly properties and money thus removing her from the game and a pair of leather gloves and now blackmail material from Aro. Bella looks at the placement of her piece then looks at the stretch before her. All the spaces are taken up with Caius' properties most with hotels. She is quiet a moment before she scoops up all her properties and hands them to me. This is soon repeated with the fake money. "I can recognize the beginning of a horrific death spiral when I see one, and since I've got nothing I'm willing to physically lose to Caius, these are for you Marcus. Use them well," she states. My mate then moves and sits beside Sulpicia to watch the end of the game.

"You are just going to quit, Isabella?" Aro asks in slight dismay.

"Nope, not quitting, I'm bowing out gracefully instead of bleeding money slowly. I figure if Marcus has increased resources he might make it a few more times around the board before Caius completely takes over," she responds perkily. Caius is valiantly attempting to hold back the amused quirk of his lips.

"Yes, Marcus may as well be out of the game but what of me? I can still triumph," Aro states.

Sulpicia laughs. "My Love, the only way you will win at this point is if Athenodora distracts Caius with her charms." Bella giggles behind her hand as Athenodora dramatically runs one hand down Caius' arm.

"I don't distract you, do I Caius?" she practically purred tilting her head slightly and blinking her long lashes at him.

"Whenever you are in the room, dearest," he replies in monotone. "And you owe me $120 dollars in rent." All three women laughed at this, though Athenodora pretended to pout at first. Aro was grinning and I felt myself smiling too.

This day indoors could have been an utter disaster but things have gone much better than I had hoped for. A tension in Bella's shoulders seems to have lessened and her eyes seem brighter. Our eyes catch and I smile widely for her causing her to grin back. The moment is broken however when Aro rifles through the other games available.

"I believe we should play this 'Risk' game next. I am very good at conquering peoples and placing them under my control. Yes, yes this is a very good choice."

CPOV

It has been decided by Aro that we should attend the Teatro della Pergola for the opera tonight. Though only my lovely wife knows (and sadly Aro by default), I am fond of listening to good music and almost all operas amuse me as there are usually people dying and being killed left, right and centre. That may just be Aro researching the pieces beforehand though. The women have spent well over an hour and a half getting ready. It took me less than five minutes, I sometimes feel I will never truly understand how the female brain works.

So here we are entering the building for the show. We are early so that we will not have to stand amongst the masses and risk humans pushing or bumping against us on our way to the private booth Aro has secured. It occurs to me that though this event is likely to be enjoyable for the rest of us, Isabella may not get much from it. The entire thing will be in Italian, and though she has picked up some everyday words since arriving this will be nowhere within her scope of understanding. Which means that Marcus will likely be translating the entire time and I will be required to focus on blocking him out. Blast.

It is not as though I cannot block him out, I simply find it inconvenient to do so on top of already having to block out all the humans that will be in attendance. Sulpicia insists that humans have always been as loud and annoying as they are today but I do not agree. Now not only do they shuffle and fidget and breathe and fill my ears with the sound of their heartbeats, but the lack of formality nowadays has increased the likelihood of them having a conversation during a performance; and do not let me start on all the racket new technology makes.

If there is one thing about Isabella I can say that at least she is not overly loud or boisterous. In fact it is surprising how well she fits in with us- I once did the calculations on the possibility of a vampire finding not only a second mate but one that would not destroy the balance between my brothers and I- the percentage number was exceedingly depressingly low.

Out of the corner of my eye I see a small furrow of discomfort take up residence between Isabella's eyebrows. A moment later my brother notices too and stops her, gently questioning.

"Bella sweet, is there something wrong?"

"Just a headache, it will pass," she assures him.

"But we are going to listen to opera, Isabella; you cannot enjoy opera unless you have your entire mind focused upon the performance," Aro stated superiorly causing Marcus to glare at Aro in warning.

"Well," Isabella begins nervously, "I saw a small pharmacy about a block and a half back, and we're early so I'll just go get some Advil or Tylenol or something and be back quick. Then by the time the opera starts I'll be fine again," she says hopefully and attempting to be persuasive. Aro looks contemplative but agreeable, however I can tell that Marcus is not as keen on the idea.

Even with her guard I didn't believe it was a good idea. Yes, she was independent and modern and all that other feminist crap that my lovely wife attempts to convey to me; but if I were in his shoes I would not be letting my human mate out of my sight. Athenodora is an ancient vampire and I still do not like leaving her in anyway vulnerable or unguarded. Because when it comes right down to it no one will protect your mate better than you yourself.

"Let us send Corrin instead, dearest," Marcus suggests cutting in before Aro can agree to Isabella's plan.

"I can go, really," Isabella insists earnestly. "The cooler air will likely help me feel better and I'll enjoy the performance more if I burn off some energy before sitting for an extended period of time."

Marcus looks ever-so-slightly pained at this, rightfully hesitant to allow his mate (that is prone to hysterics) leave. It surprises me when my beloved speaks as generally we try not to interfere with how we treat our mates unless we find their behaviour extremely out of line.

"Marcus, you need to let her go. Isabella's used to being in control of every aspect of her life as well as being alone. She'll feel trapped and suffocated if we watch her all the time," Athenodora states below the human threshold of hearing.

Marcus flinches infinitesimally in her direction as the only indication that he has heard her advice.

"You'll have to take Afton of course," Aro decrees to Isabella, and we can all hear her sigh in concealed frustration. Marcus does not look completely sold on the idea, and Isabella is starting to actually show signs of her irritation at the delay.

Beside me Athenodora tugs my suit jacket sleeve to get my attention before looking at me in silent indication that I needed to do something helpful, as she is worried. Internally I groan, Athenodora knows I cannot deny her when she is genuinely fretful.

"I'm feeling peckish, brother," I offer below human range. I am guessing that a part of his issue is not that he does not trust Afton to do his job, but instead that if Isabella reacts to something one of the family will not be close enough by to deal with it- especially in the noisy city centre where our distance hearing is limited. Stupid modern noise. "I will hunt nearby."

"Afton doesn't need to walk beside you, Isabella, dear," Aro offers, "sometimes it is quite pleasant to walk apparently by yourself. He can follow along discreetly behind you, and then you can have solitude for a few minutes as well yes?" My brother the diplomat; ready to placate and create excess trouble all at once. Isabella looks at Marcus for confirmation of this statement and glancing at me briefly he then nods in both confirmation of my words as well as in agreement with Aro.

"Alright, I won't be long," she says glancing around for Afton who waves indulgently to catch her attention from across the room. She nods and then bounces up on her toes to kiss Marcus on the cheek. My brother obligingly lowers his head to her and turns to capture her lips with his own instead. He then presses another to her hair before softly instructing, "Watch your surroundings, my Bella."

"I'll be fine," she assures him. Marcus attempts not to look pained. Isabella then purposefully moves towards and out the front exit moving between some of the arriving crowd before disappearing from sight. Afton matches her step for step some twenty paces behind her.

Sighing I look over my beautiful mate in her stunning silver sheath dress wishing I was enjoying her attentions instead of leaving. Urban humans that fit into the acceptable disappearance and thus the food category are never as enjoyable to eat as those from the country. Most have far too much damage done to their bodies from substance abuse or even worse are chock-full of some sort of chemical and thus transfer over their 'buzz' along with their foul blood. Both are highly unpleasant.

Grumbling incoherently so that my wife and brother are both aware I am only doing this task as a favour to them, I leave the theatre a couple minutes after Isabella. I also make it a point to blatantly ignore Aro's teasing reminder not to get my outfit bloody lest I not be allowed back into the building. He knows very well I don't bathe in the blood of my victims unless they have infuriated me; he is the one that has been known to do so for entertainment purposes.

I sedately follow along out of sight scanning various riff-raff as possible dietary options. Eventually I hear Isabella cross the street and enter the small pharmacy.

I am debating the merits of a pickpocket for a meal some fifteen minutes later when I hear a commotion not too far from where the pharmacy Isabella is in is located. Quickly leaving the fortunate thief, I slide between the rundown alleyways making my way towards the noise. It is not long before I come upon Anton doing his best to fend off a non-descript vampire most likely somewhere in his fifth century. The attacker, I quickly determine, is indeed talented physically however is no match for Afton and thus I am not required to get involved.

During the distraction it has begun to rain which reduces the distance I am able to clearly hear within. Quickly I decide I need to have Isabella within my sight now that a threat has announced itself for whatever reason, and has Afton unable to completely focus on his guard duty. Thirty seconds later I can finally see my brother's mate through the downpour that has picked up.

Isabella in attempt to keep her dress from getting water stained is keeping to the small overhang provided by the buildings. The folds of her midnight blue dress are hiked up within her hands so that the hem of her skirts do not drag in the puddles and she is rapidly walking towards the theatre with the small bag holding her purchase looped over one wrist.

She is not alone however, which is highly disturbing. A lanky, rather flat-chested female vampire is stalking her from the alleys she passes in her journey back to my family.

Silently I flip the hood of my cloak up to hide my strikingly pale features and block out some of the rain before creeping up the side of one of the buildings bordering the street about three hundred and fifty feet down from Isabella and her newly picked-up stalker. It takes me little time to climb upwards and even less to sprint along the roofs. One thing that even vampire often fail to do is look upwards when trying to prepare for a threat and this wretch fits into that category perfectly. She does not hear nor see me coming until I have landed upon her leaping down from the multi-level building. She barely has her arms up defensively, face showing her surprise before I have removed her head and thrown it upon the pile of litter slowly degrading by one of the back doors. It is little work to remove the rest of her limbs and to spread them sufficiently far distances from one another so that she won't be able to put herself back together easily. Aro I am sure will want to read her motives later.

Within five minutes I am finally able to approach Isabella, my chore finished, just as she is about to cross the road. She is standing on the curb trying to figure out the best way to transverse over the large stream of water that has accumulated in the gutters. I can easily tell she is going to get at least her feet and shoes soaked through no matter how she attempts to cross the man-made stream, especially considering the flimsy cloth material with the thin sole she has on her feet. Sighing to myself at the stupidity of the minds behind the impracticality of women's footwear, I approach her from behind.

Without much effort I scoop Isabella up her knees over one arm my other supporting her shoulders.

She yelps turning to look at me before relaxing upon seeing my face. "You frightened me, Caius," she informs me the relief evident in her tone as I tromp through the gushing water on the road and over the slick rocks before making it into the building.

Now that we are inside I place her back down on her own feet, steadying her while she regains her footing. "Thank-you for lifting me over the water, you really didn't have to," she says shyly. I look at her blandly.

"Not only would Marcus become displeased if you came back soaked to mid-calf when I could have done something to prevent it, Athenodora would have nagged at me for at the very least not defending your new dress from ruin. Not to mention I have leather boots whereas someone saw fit to put you in cotton slippers," I reply not saying anything else. Unmentioned is the fact that as part of the family it would be completely inappropriate to let her struggle when I am nearby and able to do things. Though Isabella doesn't seem to understand this yet I am sure she'll eventually catch on, or someone else can explain it to her.

Peeling off my wet cloak, I hold out my arm for Isabella to take and guide her to our box. The pesky humans are present throughout the building in force now and I do not intend to let our human flounder about in their confusion.

Finally arriving to the balcony, Isabella sweetly thanks me before joining Marcus. Letting out a grateful sigh that she is no longer my responsibility I take my seat kissing Athenodora just beneath her ear on the soft skin of her neck.

"Brother," I say low enough not to attract Isabella's attention, "your mate is a walking attraction to danger. She is fine, I took care of the matter but Corin needs to go help Afton bring back the assorted vampire limbs to the townhouses for later questioning. At the very least I can say that I doubt we are going to have much peace in the coming weeks."

"Are you sure this can wait?" Marcus questions me at normal volume in Italian. Aro forgoes speech altogether instead reaching out to touch my wrist reading the previous situation.

"Corrin, call Demetri and help Afton round up the pieces and store them appropriately for interrogation later tonight," Aro instructs once he finishes patting my hand absently in thanks. "Not to worry Marcus, we shall deal with the issue later. Just keep a close watch on your mate, yes? Now I believe the opera is starting, let us enjoy it before having to deal with the realities of our positions."

I sigh again, our work is never-ending.

**AN: **Hey everyone! I know I'm late to post again. Not an excuse but I've been a little scatterbrained lately. Plus I now officially have graduated with an honours bachelor of Science in Zoology. Next chapter should be fairly exciting! Have a lovely weekend everyone :D


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 MPOV

"Honestly, I cannot remember even during my human lifetime being so oblivious to my surroundings, how exactly is it possible Bella missed not only the vampire stalking her, but you taking the being down as well?" I ask frustrated at the danger my mate was in just earlier this evening.

Caius looks slightly insulted, "It wasn't as though I played with the wretch, Marcus, the entire occurrence only took approximately twenty seconds."

"Plus, you were a warrior even as a human, Marcus. You were trained to be attentive to your surroundings. I'm thousands of years old and I'm still oblivious on a semi-daily basis, just like I was as a human. Just accept it and move on," Athenodora informs me lightly paging through a magazine from Caius' lap. Caius stares at her and shakes his head minutely, a look of exasperated affection on his face. He then looks at me seemingly conveying that since he is in constant worry about his own mate it is only fair that I must endure the same.

"And really brother it's a good thing Bella missed the entire event really," Sulpicia informs me. "She is worrying and dealing with enough as it is at the moment about such a variety of issues that she doesn't need this to deal with as well." Sulpicia then turns to her husband, "By the way, when are you going to interrogate the two that went after her?"

I answer her before Aro gets a chance to respond, "Afton has replaced their torsos so in a couple hours they should have the ability to speak once again restored. They haven't been given any blood so the process is slower than normal. I will speak with them tomorrow afternoon. I want to wait until Isabella is awake and sufficiently distracted elsewhere. There is no need for her to become involved purposefully or not," I dictate my tone calm and stern though inside I am still raging over the threat to Isabella.

Aro looks pleased at this. "The extended period of time before we come to them will cause them to worry as well. Yes, yes tomorrow afternoon should work nicely. Caius I assume you wish to be involved as well?" he asks clapping his hands once in glee. Caius nods blankly in response.

Aro is the most outwardly sadistic of the three of us. He enjoys the feel of power and control defeating and humiliating his enemy gives him. Aro also rarely gets mad because of this, instead preferring to just get revenge ten-fold and completely demolish the person's self-confidence and credibility instead. Caius and I also enjoy torture to an extent. We do not actively seek it out as Aro does at times but when we see where it may be useful there is very little that will hold us back from using it to our advantage. Of the three of us I have the most margin of mercy, though that margin is not a large one.

Caius is the most indifferent of us. He completely separates himself from the chore of business and personal life and highly dislikes that line being crossed. He is also the quickest of us to anger. His fuse is short and his retribution is swift and handed out personally. Aro on the other hand often has others do his dirty work for him, another way he likes to show his superiority.

I however, handle my rage very differently than my brothers. Many believe nothing affects me, even when I was married to Didyme. I can and do hold my temper extremely well. I apparently do not get emotionally involved at all, seemingly indifferent and merely handing out punishment as an act of following protocol. This like many other things though is a well-constructed mask. Someone can push and push and push at me but once I reach my breaking point I live up to my namesake Mars. There is not much that shoves me past that threshold but threats and attacks on my family and mate are guaranteed to increase my desire to terrorize someone back.

"Tomorrow afternoon should work well for distracting Bella too," Athenodora comments, slouching back further into Caius so she can rest her head on him. "That lovely lingerie store nearby is open tomorrow and we can get her fitted. Plus in the afternoon it should be cloudy enough that we can attend that Incan art exhibit."

I pause momentarily sidetracked by the thought of my mate in delicate skimpy fabrics before being pulled back to the present by Caius.

"No male attendants and you take eight of the guard with you," he states firmly angling Athenodora chin so that she meets his eyes. She in return looks slightly startled by his sudden demands.

"Surely we won't need eight guards," Sulpicia says. "Did we even bring eight with us from Volterra? Besides some need to stay here especially if you three are distracted trying to get information out of our visitors from yesterday."

"I agree with Caius," I say nearly matching my brother's stern tone. "We have twelve guard with us, we will call two more to us tonight therefore allowing ten to go with the three of you and four to stay with us. Isabella is much too vulnerable as a human and we do not yet know why she was being followed yesterday. I will not risk my mate's safety nor yours or Athenodora's, Sulpicia."

"Both places are highly public and it is during the daytime. No vampire would be stupid enough to come after us in those circumstances," Sulpicia argues before she turns at Aro's restraining hand.

"If Caius had not volunteered to follow Isabella, Afton would not have made it to her before the female of the pair moved in on her. I agree with them both you will take as many guards as we feel necessary. Ten may seem excessive but if they were just the scout party you may need every single one to get back to us. Isabella will have three, you both two and the other three will be look out," Aro states firmly, glancing at the end to me in confirmation as I have always been the best at military strategy.

"You both need to be more attentive to your surroundings than normal. If anything feels off- even if you think it is nothing or you are over-thinking things you get the three of you back here. We've been through this in the past, follow the same procedure. If the worst should happen I pray one of you will take Isabella to your bolt-hole with you. I plan to go over contingency plans with her after _speaking_ with our _guests_ but I don't want to alarm her without solid information I can provide to her," I state as solemnly as I can manage.

"I understand, I will not argue the extra security, it has just been so long since our last threat. Marcus you know both Athenodora and myself will risk our very existences in order to hide Isabella with us. I guarantee you in case the very worst happens, one of us will take her with us. Either Athenodora or myself will be right beside her the entire time tomorrow. She'll be within arm's reach if anything happens," Sulpicia gracefully says. Aro catches his wife's lips in gratitude for understanding a few moments afterwards.

Bolt-holes are exactly what they sound like places that we run for when all other avenues have failed. Each has our own, places unknown to the others (except Aro of course, though he purposely works to forget the information) where we can hide until it is safe to venture again. I changed mine at Athenodora and Sulpicia's urgings after Didyme's death but the other two couples have areas they will hide with one another. The one I have at the moment though is not suitable for a human and thus if the worst outcome takes place I will need to depend on my brother's and their wives care of my mate until word can safely be sent. That Athenodora and Sulpicia will risk getting themselves whole to their mates for the sake of mine proves to me once again how blessed I am by my family.

I nod to her in thanks, sure my appreciation of their care for my mate shows upon my face. Athenodora leans forward from Caius' arms and squeezes my forearm before pressing her lips to my cheek. "We love you and Bella, Marcus. We won't let anything happen to her," she affirms Sulpicia's statement before going back to Caius' arms. Once back in his lap he brushes his nose over her temple.

"You are a good mate," he whispers to her barely within my hearing.

Athenodora turns slightly and smiles softly up at him touching his chin lightly. "I love you too, Caius."

Briefly looking at them with bond sight pleases me as I see the strength of their connection. We really are blessed by the gods as a family to have people who care so greatly for every other member.

BPOV

We are at the Incan art exhibit in one of the museums in Florence today. I have been enjoying it- the detailed metalwork and brightly dyed textiles are exquisite to experience.

I do know though that something is off today. I realize if I need to know what is going on Marcus will eventually tell me but I still feel sort of itchy and hyperaware. I've been feeling this dread since this morning after holding in my displeasure at the amount of money spent on me in the lingerie store. I like feeling pretty, sure, but I guess I'm touchy about how critical the others (but mostly the seamstress) had been on something that has always been something quite personal for me. I've always purchased sexy underwear to make myself feel confident and pretty, not for the viewing pleasure of someone- _anyone_- else. A couple of the comments about men's and Marcus' tastes earlier today set me on edge.

Like most women my age I'm not especially fond of my body, and I don't really want to show it off. I'm self-conscious, always have been, and the idea of push-up bras and thongs and baby dolls that look like something a pregnant woman should be wearing to cover her stomach do not appeal to me. And the fact that according to much of the world they supposedly are attractive and somehow necessary makes me feel just that more unworthy of being Marcus' mate.

A large part of me doesn't feel exactly cut out for this life. I love Marcus, I've never felt as comfortable with anyone else in my entire memory but there just seems to be so many other factors involved. As Jane mentioned, not long ago, him being thousands of years older than me is just one of many.

In addition to all of this usually I get on well with Afton but after leaving the townhouses this feeling of terror spikes when one of the male guards gets too close to me despite knowing that at the very least they would never risk their masters wraths by doing anything. I've never felt this instinctive desire to hide so completely I want to cease breathing in order not to cause any telling disturbances of my presence in my surroundings. I'm also surprisingly hungry but not in the mood for anything. It is well after lunch now and yet I feel as though I am waiting for something, something fairly important. Shaking myself out of a daze yet again I force myself to focus on the objects before us.

"I like the alpaca figurine," I tell Athenodora who is holding my hand at my side. She seems to realize something is off with me and has been paying closer attention ever since we left the store this morning. Sulpicia on the other hand seems distracted and disconnected today, edgy almost.

"What do you like about it?" she asks. I study the small silver piece for a moment in contemplation.

"The facial features. They seem very life-like. He looks proud for an alpaca with his alert ears and slightly puffy mouth. I also love his hair-cut. It almost obscures his eyes and makes him seem slightly funny. Reminds me of Caligula; placing his horse in the senate actually. Proud and important; yet totally ridiculous."

Athenodora grins at me with her purple eyes. "I laughed for weeks when I heard that tidbit. The horse was worthy enough to have a vote but not his wife. As if a horse would care about the matters of state. I too like the figure though. His face is skillfully done and I like the positioning and flow of the tail as well," she says in agreement.

She is quiet for a moment before turning to me. "Are you alright, Honey? You seem a little off today for some reason and if you want to talk to me I'm always willing to listen."

I pause contemplating the pros and cons of telling her what I'm feeling before finally giving in and beginning to speak. "I just feel vulnerable I guess today. Not just because of whatever is going on to cause the extra guards but other things too. It's like I'm jittery and oversensitive."

"What else?" Athenodora asks softly tipping my chin up slightly and looking closely at my eyes.

"Well, umm, a little paranoid I guess. Especially around the men, whom, I don't really get because I quite like Afton normally. And I'm not really hungry but I am which I know makes no sense-" I say stumbling over expressing something.

"Sulpicia," Athenodora calls at speaking volume bringing the other woman over quickly. She quickly relays my symptoms to the older woman who follows Dora's earlier example looking at my eyes. She then pinches my arm gently before watching my skins reaction.

"You're a little dehydrated. And you don't feel thirsty exactly? Do you feel like you are anticipating something? Are these emotions any better in the smaller rooms we've been in?"

"I guess, I don't know," I mumble getting frustrated with the foreign emotions. "I took a Xanax 30 minutes ago and it hasn't helped all that much," I admit allowing my worry at my usual fool-proof method for handling heightened anxiety failing out in my voice.

Slowly Athenodora pulls me into her arms placing her cheek against mine. She then begins this strange silent purring vibration thing that feels not only physical but also somehow mental. Unbelievably I feel some of the unknown stress to slide away and pull myself closer to Athenodora's embrace.

"That feel any better, Honey?" she questions. Suddenly unable to speak I nod a little.

"I'd say that confirms it," Sulpicia quietly announces to the two of us. "In addition to the fact your pupils are blown wide at the moment I would say you're exhibiting some of the first signs of vampire mating drives. You're showing the effects of a newly bonded vampire who has been away from their mate for too long."

I'm fairly sure everyone in the large room can hear my squeak of surprised disbelief.

Aro POV

"How about you begin, Marcus? It's been a long time since you lead a true interrogation," I comment lightly and almost tauntingly to my brother. If I did not know it was possible from previous incidences I would not have believed it possible for him to shut down his personality as much as he has achieved at this moment.

"Do not start with me, Aro. You'll get your pleasure out of today but do not think I will be passive and retaliate if you begin your sadism on me."

I internally sigh at the shut-down. He is right of course but sometimes my brothers suck the fun out of a good torture session. "Very well, Marcus. Proceed as you wish."

He decides to take my advice to heart bypassing the implied 'as long as you include us in the plan' and ignores both Caius and I opening the heavy metal door and taking off down the stone steps to the dungeon. His over-cloak is fluttering in his wake and he has enough anger in his step to be clearly heard on his descent by the prisoners themselves. Creating such volume of sound is surprisingly difficult without damaging the stone steps beneath our feet and so I decide to give him an 8.5 out of 10 on the intimidation scale.

The two vampires in question are located in a rather unpleasantly chilly and damp section of the cells. It also tends to be beside the cold storage area for the humans and thus smells strongly of potatoes as well. Thus there are still some vampires out and about that react quite negatively to the scent of potatoes after their little stay here. Such a shame really as my wife informs me that humans receive many nutritional benefits from them and are even highly enjoyable to fussy children in some of their many forms.

The two cells in use are a couple of segments apart from one another and are actually more for show than structurally sound against one of our kind. That does not mean however that our prisoners are liable to escape. No instead they are chained with different select materials; well the parts that aren't in pieces. You see vampires are notoriously difficult to force residency upon. They are particularly strong and resistant to most materials. There is of course the blackmailing method but we have found that often this does not work as if there is a mate to blackmail, they are often in the thick of the problem issue already. The second option is guards but that is a tedious and annoying job and really a waste of resources.

No over the years my brothers and I have come up with some rather innovative ways to subdue our race. Oil and gunpowder traps are my particular favourites, though Caius likes to simply have a natural gas cage of fire implemented. Marcus though, Marcus came up with the most ingenious of our implements.

His thought process went along the lines of what could actually harm us and then from there what was readily available to us. The answer was quite simple really and thus the sheer wonderfulness of it: Other vampires. Vampires are made of material strong enough and resilient enough to actually damage us. Werewolves are as well of course but are much harder to come by.

During one of his more emotionally introverted years after my sister's death he came to the realization that ripping off the lower jaw of a vampire and then using the set of teeth there he could fashion blades and such from the bones beneath the already rock hard flesh and muscles of vampire bodies. It was a highly gruesome process too. Needless to say I was thrilled. Eventually Marcus grew bored of the screaming sadly and burned the heads but weapons created another advantage for the Volturi. We were able to take up swordsmanship from our previous human lives providing not only an unexpected source of amusement but an unheard of offensive technique in the vampire world.

This applies to our prisoners in that from the original knives and sword that Marcus fashioned sprung chains, manacles, hooks, etc. We have quite a supply that my brothers and I have carved over time. Though I dislike having to do manual labour myself, this has been quite a pleasant activity really- not to mention this is yet another a little known fact throughout our guard. Few even know of the existence of the weaponry that can pierce vampire flesh, only our family knows what exactly the material is and our training sessions are done in private with only my brothers and I present. I would not have it any other way either, we need to covet all the advantages that we can.

Marcus stands midway between the two cells in silence alternatively glaring at our nervous victims. Suddenly breaking the silence after some long minutes he roars, "Do you know who I am?"

The female opens her mouth before shutting it once more after a glare from the male. "One of the Volturi coven," he whispers in response.

"No," Marcus responds harshly, "I am one of the leaders of the Volturi coven- I _am_ Volturi. Can you fathom a pathetic guess as to what you've done to attract _my _attention?"

The female whimpers shortly at this as the male's eyes widen slightly. He then slowly, regretfully knowing my brother is not going to like his answer, replies "Not really."

"That isn't an answer. You either know or you do not. Answer properly or I will gladly hurry this situation along and remove one of your testicles to encourage your responses," Caius growls out from beside me on the wall. He looks as though he despises having to be here and deal with this, leaning with a slumped posture against the wall. He isn't of course, but the act is one he has successfully used many times in the past. Victims tend to be more compliant if they are worried not submitting is likely to piss off one of their captures to the point of saying 'fuck it just kill them'.

It is actually a funny story as to how this technique came about with Caius. Athenodora and he had just mated and she had desperately wanted something from her mother's family and Caius had not been able to arrange business in such a way that he could leave. Athenodora had just returned from the trip heart-broken that news of her supposed death had already reached them and that in her memory one of her wretched aunts had convinced the others burning the tapestry she was to inherit would be an ample way to honour her departure.

There was information that Caius needed from a rather depressing vampire (and thus one I refused to touch) and he was angry and impatient the entire torture session in need to get to his newly returned and pained mate. He kept losing his temper and physically injuring the male until he got the information he needed before leaving to comfort Athenodora.

"We were following one of your coven members, and a human. That's it! We were only defending ourselves once you attacked! We didn't actually do anything!" the female indignantly voiced.

I snort. "You were clearly stalking first our vampire then the girl. It was only a matter of time until you actually did something about it little girl, do not pretend to be innocent with us."

"We _are_ innocent. Who the hell are you anyways? You weren't even there! What gives you any right to attack and confine us?"

I laugh lowly. I love the aggressive stupid ones. "You do not know much of the Volturi do you chit?"

I glance over at Marcus and he nods slightly letting me know that he is alright with me taking the lead for a little while.

"Let me give you a little lesson, hmm?" I rhetorically ask ignoring her responses and upset words. "The Volturi is run by three brothers. Generally _our_" I begin gesturing to the three of us, "Governing over the vampire race is to prevent the humans from finding out about our existence. But you see I think you are quite confused you stupid little girl. You seem to think that because we are basically the head of the vampire governing system that we are somehow also at our very root '_fair'?_" I say using my fingers to quote the word like I've seen on television. I find it wonderfully sarcastic and scathing.

"Because you see, although you've mistaken that because one of our most worked for concerns is that vampires remain undetected by humans, you've assumed that that is the _most_ important issue. It's not you see, instead it goes something like this our mates, our personal familial coven, the welfare of our vassals, the guards, and then finally vampire interaction with humankind. Justice and mercy are not even on the list. And yesterday you managed not only to threaten the welfare of our guard, but you threatened Marcus' mate. Personally, I'm going to vastly enjoy hearing you scream."

Athenodora's POV

"I do not care what they are doing, if you do not inform your Lord Marcus that his mate needs him immediately I will personally set your decimated corpse alight once he is finished with you," Sulpicia screams at the guards blocking the passageway that leads to the door down to the dungeons.

I am slightly hysterical myself trying to calm Bella. She is acting exactly how a newly mated vampire does. She's lost all sense of herself and is reacting solely on instinct. She rocks within my arms a low mourning whine just barely escaping from her. Thank the gods that she seems to be at least slightly calmed when I 'purr' for lack of a better word. As a female with a strongly masculine mate it is one of the abilities I like others in a similar situation possess. Mostly it is for showing affection towards said mate, or for calming them down when the blood and battle-lust takes over. However, it is also a sort of friendly sincere comfort source to other vampires as well. To the best of my knowledge it should have no effect on humans as it partially connects mentally with the recipient.

Humans are not supposed to react like Bella is. She is trying to process too many things at once at the moment for her brain to absorb. She is a classic example of a newly mated submissive with a strong dominant partner where something has gone tragically wrong. This happens when something has happened to the mate, or where something set her off as being exceedingly dangerous after she had been away from him too long, or where she has felt rejected by the male.

I say submissive because it is the best way to describe it but vampire relationships are not really that simple. There are all shades of grey and many mating's have equal partners. In most cases though one mate whether they be the male in a heterogeneous relationship, one of the males in a homogeneous relationship, one of the females in a homogeneous relationship, etc. someone is usually more in charge of security and personal safety. As male vampires are so much more aggressive usually, it is often they in a male-female relationship that are guiding and choosing options during security risk situations. Marcus for example is often quite passive, or at least he was with Didyme letting her pursue pastimes as she wished as long as she wasn't endangering herself. When danger arose though he was always a force to be reckoned with.

Also, though this natural aggression and predetermined obsession with guarding does have a slight bleed-through into sexual matters between mates; it is not like the more 'submissive' mate never is allowed to explore themselves sexually with their partner. Caius for the longest time refused to be anything but absolutely slow and gentle with me, despite the times I longed for him to be rougher. And though he definitely likes being in control of me now on occasion, it is never without consent and he never would push me too far. Nor does he in anyway disallow me from indulging my possessive traits. In fact we are both particularly fond of the sensations achieved when I ride him, my hands linked with his staring down into his eyes beneath me.

The point is that Bella is exhibiting things she's not supposed to. A quick discussion between Sulpicia and I ended with us deciding to return Bella back to Marcus as quickly as possible. In past situations like this with vampires the best solution has always been to provide them the comfort and reassurance of their mate in private to reestablish their mate bond. The only issue with this though of course is that Bella isn't a vampire and thus, Marcus and she haven't established a mate bond to begin with. Dear gods don't make us have to change her while in her current state.

APOV

"Why are you wearing gloves? Too uptight to touch me yourself?" the male taunts me as I pull another finger from its socket causing a short scream of pain.

"I do not want your venom to contaminate me. I touch my wife with my hands and the idea of foreign venom on her skin makes me want to ravage and level a small city," I reply truthfully, an undertone of sarcasm and anger seeping into my tone. Venom and blood are the core elements of a vampire's existence and as such have great meaning to us both culturally and instinctually. If I am going to touch someone for their thoughts I like to make it short and sweet so that I spent the least amount of time touching them, and thus have a lesser chance of coming into contact with foreign venom. If otherwise happens I prefer to have the time to scrub their venom and scent off my skin so as to not transfer any to Sulpicia. In a way I suppose it is like animal scent marking, but that is a description at its most basic and rudimentary, especially when vampire gifts are taken into account. Marcus also has indicated that it has to do with bonds too. He first noticed when Athenodora had lost a significant portion of her venom when she was confronted by an enforcing group funded and supported by the Romanian coven. Unlike the guard this small coven's purpose was to strike fear and chaos into other vampires so as to keep the focus away from Valdimir and Stephan themselves. She was injured and missing up to her elbow when she escaped barely keeping conscious when she half-collapsed into Caius' chest. They had hunted her for hours and she had been terrified she would lead them back to us. Her endurance gone Athenodora could only feed when one of us brought a human back for her and held them to her.

Caius angered and overwrought by her pain gorged himself on blood before coming back to her and ripping his wrist open for her to drink. Marcus indicates that he saw their bond triple in strength that day and later we learned that it slowed the venom out-flow from her wound too. We of course retrieved the arm two days later, but Athenodora healed quicker than average with Caius' second-hand feeding. They became more in tune with each other as well. When the occasion arose I convinced my wife and mate to partake my life force as well with similar outcomes. Marcus believes the differences experienced are due to the fact that Caius is also Athenodora's sire whereas my love was already changed when I met her. The point is though that venom is so intimate, that the idea of Sulpicia near any but my own infuriates me.

Thus far the two haven't given us much. They are mates and were approached by a male to see if they could find one of our guards unaware. If so they were to head to Germany with said guard and drop them off to a small coven there. It seems they honestly did not target Isabella other than out of confusion as to why a vampire was watching her but not seemingly stalking her for a meal. Honestly I doubt they are aware of the details behind whatever scheme they are wrapped up in.

"Aro," Caius sharply says drawing my attention from holding the male down as Marcus breaks his leg. A moment later I am drawn back to present and I hear Sulpicia demanding Marcus' attention causing him to drop our victim and leave at a sprint. I too drop our play-thing disturbed at my mate's need to yell for my attention and I decide to end this quickly. I rip off my glove and press my fingers to his forehead avoiding the smear of venom that resulted from the removal of one of his ears.

It takes under a minute for me to receive his centuries of thoughts and upon finishing I physically gasp before throwing him back in his shackles.

I run upwards and Caius joins me bewildered by my sudden fear. I only need to say one word for him to understand the reason for my terror in combination with my wife's demands to see me. "Romanians."

**AN: **So as you can see we have plot advancement. Yay. Next chapter some (but not nearly all) loose ends should be coming together for you. Plus way more Bella/Marcus relationship stuff.

As for this chapter- it was much harder to write than I thought it was going to be! I've been researching for starting up a new business and spending time with family and friends. Trying to write a torture scene when your grandmother is in the room is very difficult.

SUPER SPECIAL THANKS to firstly my beta and secondly to those couple of you who contacted me in concern and encouragement when I disappeared for so long. Without you all this chapter would have been much later than it currently is.

Also I apologize if I missed replying to some reviews. I got confused about half-way about who I had and had not answered thus leading to some people I'm fairly sure who didn't get a reply. Sorry!

Finally, I received not to long ago a review pretty much accusing me of writing porn and saying I was being inappropriate for fanfiction. They of course left no way for me to reply to them. I would like to say that if you are not an adult you should not be reading in the M (for MATURE) section of this site. Secondly if you do not like my work, please just do not read it. Thirdly, before you accuse someone of something actually take a look at what they have done. Thus far all sex has taken place behind closed doors and the most explicit happenings have been kissing. Considering some of the things I read this is about as far away from porn as you can get. I do plan on including sex in this later on but if just kissing between two people who care for one another bothers you, please do not read my fanfiction.

Thank-you instead to everyone who has appreciated my writing and your extremely kind comments. You all will never know how uplifting and moving they have been to me.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Song for this chapter- Arms by Christina Perri**

**BPOV**

There is so much going on. I am desperately trying to make sense of everything but no matter how hard I try it just overwhelms me. I hear a screaming argument and flinch further into Dora who I'm clutching at with both hands like a lifeline. I feel frantic and terrified and I really don't understand why. I tried to listen as both Dora and Sulpicia explained but things were starting to get foggy then and all I wanted to do was curl up in Dora's lap and cuddle someplace safe. Which doesn't even make any sense! I'm not really a cuddly person normally, especially not with other women. I mean it's nice and I'm enjoying the cool feel of her hands running soothingly through my hair but that doesn't mean I'm not still confused about it.

On top of all that my wrist is aching something fierce. When I looked finally it was the same location spot where James' bite is located. I don't know what it means but I doubt this entire combination of effects is good.

Because despite all the confusion and reactions that are due to the outside world the second one inside my head is so much worse.

All my doubts and fears about having a real relationship with Marcus were at the forefront of my mind screaming at me in progressively louder tones. He is literally _millennia_ older than me. Older than many religions, civilizations, languages. The things he's experienced, even thinking about it leaves me baffled.

I'm a girl who barely passed high school- that stemmed from which my dad died because of my deadbeat mother and completely left me unable to function for months. What do I have, really to make him even interested in me, let alone possibly keep his attentions? Even with a possible mate bond he's going to be bored of me within maybe a decade if I'm lucky then he'll rightfully move on and I'll barely be even a blip on his radar. Probably sooner if I screw up as royally as I'm constantly doing. I'll undermine his authority by accident and put the entire Volturi in danger. Not to mention all the money they've spent on me. I don't even have a job, at this point I'm completely broke and wouldn't be able to feed myself if it were not for Marcus.

And my God, I'm a virgin; he was married for centuries to another woman that I won't be able to live up to. Aro's sister at that. Edward wouldn't even let me make out with him including tongue. No touching, no sucking, no fondling, nothing. I'm going to fail big time. Well that settles it, I'm just going to have to leave. No way am I putting Marcus or myself, through all that misery.

An overwhelming sweep of pure depression comes over me at this decision. I'm going to deeply miss Marcus. I already ache for him. I push myself into Dora a little more as I start sobbing great loud devastated sobs at my realization. In order to not hate myself I need to leave the best thing in my life behind.

Before I can start planning anymore how to go about leaving with the minimum of fuss I am suddenly lifted up and away from Dora. I yelp and reach for her before Marcus' voice registers.

"My little one, shhh. It is me, Isabella. I've got you," he coos to me and in spite of my earlier thoughts I throw my limbs around him and attach myself like a limpet. I bury my hands in his hair and push my face hard into his shoulder. I wasn't even contemplating throwing myself on his mercy, and yet I cannot control my body it seems.

His arms are like cold bands of supportive steel holding me steady and close against him. One hand is threaded in my hair cradling my head against his shoulder.

It takes me a moment to realize I'm speaking to him, begging him. "I love you, Marcus, I love you so much. Please don't make me leave. I'm so sorry, so so sorry. I'll never live up to Didyme, I'll never be a good enough mate. But please don't make me leave, don't leave me. I don't want to be alone again, I don't want to be without you."

It feels like an out of body experience hearing my words. I can't seem to stop them either. In the next moment an outburst of outraged or horrified or some loud emotioned- voices rise up near me, males among them. I whimper suddenly terrified, scrambling to be impossibly closer to Marcus who feels like the only safe port in the storm around me. I am shocked silent as Marcus' entire chest vibrates and he lets loose a sound somewhere between a growl and a roar. This is quickly followed by ferociously low and dangerous words in Italian that I can't make out, though their sincerity rumbles through his chest and into my very bones.

The next thing I know the air around me is whipping past us and I can feel Marcus' muscles flex against me. It isn't long until we've entered a darkened room. Opening my eyes I can tell it is a little used bedroom, small in size making it somehow safer feeling.

Marcus presses me harder against him momentarily causing me to lose my breath for a second from the pressure. His other arm drops and he closes and locks the door behind us. As I look up at him I notice his eyes are black as pitch and his hair is more ruffled than normal, strands escaping the tie at the nape of his neck. His teeth are extended thus forcing his mouth to remain slightly open and I can see his tension in the lines around his eyes from readied muscles. I in response feel more wary due to his discomfort.

Not even a second later he moves a dresser in front of the door and an armoire roughly along the wooden floor before it comes to rest in front of the only window. The bed then is repositioned in the corner farthest from both possible entrances sliding forcefully across the floor before banging into the wall where it finally stops.

The world spins for a moment and I feel the soft mattress at my back. I clutch harder at Marcus my fingers going white at the strain worried he is going to move away from me. He softly hushes me again before a portion of his weight settles over me sinking my body into the bed below me. His thighs are tight outside of mine, the majority of his weight braced through his forearm that lays beside my head.

Unexpectedly he tilts his head down and nudges my head up exposing my throat to him. Confused I go along, still tense and crying lightly. I startle slightly when I feel his lips on my pulse point following are his extended fangs scraping over my vein ever so lightly. I gasp as he repeats the action with his tongue lapping along the same path as his fangs before sucking strongly. The sensation causes shivers to race down my spine and a feel a heat take up residence between my legs at my core. Marcus then does the same series of events along the other side of my neck, effectively releasing most of my fear just from the sensations and being so completely covered by his body. He is so much larger than me that he shelters me entirely, the darkness of the room comforting and intimate.

"That's it my sweet, relax. No one can get to you, Isabella, not when I am present. Calm yourself enough to speak to me and we shall fix the mating drives causing you such distress to the best of our ability," Marcus states, his voice is lower than normal, with a fiercely protective undertone to it.

"Marcus," I gasp trying to stop my tears, fingers still clenched in his disheveled hair.

"Breathe slow and deep, little one. I am not going anywhere and will not be leaving you alone for any extended period of time. Just calm for me," he instructs one large hand cupping the side of my face. I lean into his palm and I sigh at the feeling of connection with him. My eyes flutter shut as Marcus' fingers on his opposite hand trail soothingly through my hair before drifting up and down my throat. He begins to speak to me softly, sweetly in Italian. I hear my name with his perfect Italian inflections on the syllables followed by other words I don't understand sprinkled through with '_amore mio'_ the words for 'my love'. Time becomes meaningless as I sink into a fog of comfort created by his words, his nearness and the darkness. I feel my earlier tension and distress fade to significantly more manageable levels, my mind mostly blank except the interspaced throbbing my wrist creates.

The moment ends when Marcus captures my lips fiercely kissing me as though he is proving something. I pause momentarily in surprise before I moan quietly moving my lips against his harder ones. His canines have retreated at this point and I barely feel his teeth before his cold strong tongue enters my mouth. I jerk a little at the sudden temperature difference and the strange feeling before I start to enjoy the sensation. He coaxes my tongue steadily, persistently, patiently to meet his, stroking and moving against mine. It isn't long before mine tentatively rubs back. I'm soon gasping between our lips as he pulls back for me, only mere milliseconds so I can breathe now and again. The sensations and my hormones feel more intense than I've ever experienced. Without permission my hips rut up against him and I quickly feel that he is not nearly as unaffected as I thought. I go to thrust upwards again when his pelvis drops down atop me further than before pinning my hips to the bed. Marcus then pulls back.

"No…" I gasp looking up at him wide-eyed.

"I will not go further with you until you are truly ready. There are things we must discuss, dearest. Firstly though, I know you are aroused, I am as well. If I lift from you are you going to be able to lay relatively still or would you rather I keep you unable to move due to the pressure of my weight?"

What goes unsaid if that if he stays where he is I'll feel horny longer but closer to him and vice versa. I know that even if I am to try and continue moving against him he is too large and strong for me to be able to accomplish anything- but I'm reveling in the unfamiliar sensation enough I don't mind the frustration involved.

"Stay, please Marcus," I plead breathily.

Marcus lingeringly kisses my forehead and then the corner of my lips. "Very well, sweet," he says before tilting my head to meet his eyes.

"I love and adore you, Isabella. Nothing will ever change that. However, I cannot care for you as you need if you hide from me. Thoughts and doubts have been plaguing you, have they not?" Reluctantly I dip my chin and nod averting my eyes from his still predominantly black ones, a small ring of red along the outside.

"No, look at me," he demands and I gulp but meet his eyes again. "Good," he roughly praises rubbing my side soothingly. "Assuming you continue to follow the trends you have thus far, your vampiric instincts would not have reacted as violently if you had spoken to me more freely, and I had had a chance of acting to circumvent some reactions. I am not blaming you Isabella, I can fathom how difficult it has been to open up to me as much as you have, sweet. However, you are my mate, _mine_, and I will _not_ allow you to cause yourself excess suffering because you fear my reaction.

"There are few things you can do that will truly anger me. You would have to: actively try to undermine the Volturi ruling structure betraying us, place yourself in danger knowingly, massacre humans with no thought to keeping the vampire secret or finally to leave me without dire circumstances forcing you to do so. You mentioned earlier me sending you away, but that will _never _happen Isabella. I have waited over a millennia and a half for you, quite possibly longer. I do not say this to frighten you but if you are on this earth I will not stop until I am with you again. I will slaughter and burn any who attempt to prevent me from reuniting with you. They speak now of a vampire who survived the Southern Wars being an unmatched soldier who generated untold destruction; yet I can guarantee you just because the vampire world has forgotten my prowess, I have never stopped improving my military abilities, and he is just a child in comparison. I was given the god of war as my namesake at birth and if push comes to shove I live up to that standard. Nothing and no one will bar me from you, Isabella.

"If I had reassured you further maybe the mating drive would not have reacted as though I had rejected you, but that is past and there is nothing I can change there now. I will merely have to be more persistent and attentive. However to prevent further issues you _must_ communicate with me. Do you understand my perspective, sweet? Will you now speak to me?"

Almost speechless I nod again, cheeks burning at having to expose so many of my insecurities to him, but I realize if I have even a chance at happiness with him I need to at least try speaking all my fears aloud.

"You won't get mad or disappointed or laugh?" I stutter out. Marcus' eyes I believe soften a little.

"No, dearest. I may tease you in good humor my little one, but it will only be to brighten or cheer you, I will never laugh _at_ you. What you say to me in confidence will never cause me to find humor in your worries. As I previously mentioned I do not anger easily and even if I do become angry or disappointed I will never harm you. I would much rather you bring your issues directly to me than to find out through circumstances such as these. I fear if you continue to keep yourself so closed off you will never truly be well again. Now please, tell me what is going on behind your shielded eyes?" Marcus replies sternly with an edge of tenderness strung through.

I pause for a second before saying shakily "I'm not sure where to start."

"It does not matter, sweet. The end or the beginning or the middle. Let us deal with it one at a time, there is no rush."

I swallow hard again. "I sometimes wonder how I can possibly keep your interest considering how much older and wiser you are. I'll never match that," I admit quietly.

"You are very young and I understand how my age can be intimidating," Marcus replies softly, soothingly rubbing the bare flesh of my stomach from where he has dipped his hand just barely under the hem of my shirt. "Circumstances have thus far shown though my Bella, that you bring things to life once more for me. I may have experienced something a hundred thousand times my sweet, but watching you, being with you as an event occurs, it is like living it anew for the first time. In spite of this, I will never bore of you. Culture is always advancing, something new is constantly being presented, especially now with the leaps in technology. I am no more intelligent than you, dearest, I merely have a larger resource of knowledge to rely upon. My history merely provides me with more experience to draw from; I can protect you more effectively. Or I will be able to teach you more efficiently and through less harsh ways than through the means I have learned. I will never think you stupid, my Bella. A beautiful traumatized woman would never have survived the circumstances you have without a large amount of intelligence to back her up. Never mind that fate would have never gifted me with an unintelligent mate. I know that you are bright in many ways even if you do not believe it. Yes?"

"Yeah," I reply shyly, lifting my head enough to peck Marcus affectionately on the chin. He nuzzles against my neck in return causing me to sigh contentedly for a moment instinctually moving my head back against him. I've never done anything similar in my entire life but something about the action seems right.

"What else sweet?"

"Sex," I blurt out before reddening like a tomato and hiding my face in his shoulder.

"What about it dearest? Do you wish me to explain the mechanics behind it, or is there something else?"

If possible I feel my blush deepen even more. In my most insane moments I never contemplated having this conversation.

"No, um I know the basics behind the well it, just I've never, I mean," I take a deep breath my eyes squinted shut, "I'm a virgin."

Marcus' lips press into my hair before he nudges my chin up. "I had guessed as much sweet. There is a base part of me that is extremely pleased I will be your first lover." There is an intensity to his gaze that makes me guess that he has mentally added 'and only lover' to the end of his sentence.

He waits a moment for me to go on before asking gently, "Are you frightened?"

I nod against him. "A… a little. I'm so much smaller than you and I, I'm not, I mean I only ever kissed Edward… and you have so much more experience…"

"Dearest, from the very beginning I told you I would go as slowly as you needed. You are small, but I will make sure to more than sufficiently prepare you for me, and trust me, sweet, my experience will only allow me to make it more pleasurable for you. Do you wish more detail, or is that enough my Bella? I know you are shy about the topic, dearest, but I want you to be able to address me about anything. Not to mention, that after the first time, sweet, sex will not seem nearly as intimidating."

"No that's enough, and I suppose most things are like that. Less intimidating," I reply a mix of sentimentality and irony in my tone.

Marcus' chest vibrates a bit before he laughs lightly a few times. "To an extent, yes, though I believe there are varying degrees, sweet. Now," he says his tone becoming serious once more, "What else is bothering you?"

I shrug once with some difficulty as I'm still beneath Marcus' form, "I just feel useless and weak more often than not. Especially with the amount of money being spent on me. I just, well, I know you said I'm not a burden, but I still feel like one."

"Very well, let me try to explain this another way," Marcus says, soothing his large palm along my stomach again. I nod acknowledging I've heard and am listening.

"Instinctively, I greatly desire and feel compelled to provide for you. Males of our species are aggressive and possessive because fewer females than males are changed. This is also because there is only one true match for each vampire. For many males, providing sustenance, security and shelter for their mate is one of the ways we can prove to you that we are worthy of your presence and attentions. Mates ease the repetitiveness of the long years and reduce the pressure of stresses and loss that eternity produces. Without a mate, some are driven mad, some seclude themselves completely, and others become too daring causing the vampire race problems. To present you with not only the essentials necessary for your survival but other trinkets eases the part of my instincts that is always vexing about your safety and presence by my side.

"For example, every time I see you stroke along the wings of the Volturi swan necklace I gave you, I am highly pleased and self-satisfied. Beyond that, with time you shall find some duties you will be particularly suited for, just as both Athenodora and Sulpicia have done.

"Sulpicia takes over the running of the guard if on occasion all three of us are required elsewhere, and is also to varying extents involved in charity work and the organization of our blood sources with help from various guard members. Athenodora keeps updated on technology and terminology as well as modern languages. Both work through academia and research towards vampire biology and physiology as well as invoking green initiatives like pin-pointing areas of land that need to be protected to slow global warming and pollution rates. I am positive you will at the very least be able to contribute to some of these endeavors.

"My point is that both women required time to settle in with their mates and our coven once they met my brothers- let alone the drastic change in attitudes being a vampire living with other vampires requires. In addition to this, you are human still, dearest, a fact I do not begrudge you, nor are you considering the hardships you have faced.

"Do not rush yourself, sweet, I assure you there is all the time in the world. On the financial front, the Volturi are covered for well over the next couple millennia at the very least. We have conquered and received the estates of many vampires no longer of this earth, which compounds upon the multi-billion Euros Caius procures every year with assorted investments. Gifting you with what the planet has to offer is well within my range a hundred times over, sweet. There is no logical reason to fret over monetary issues."

I take a deep breath, releasing it in a gust against Marcus' chest. "I'll try my best to contribute," I concede softy.

"Of that I do not doubt, little one, but know that you could decide to take up residence in the library for the next hundred years, demanding food be brought to you and I will not care as long as you are happy and willing to let me stay with you. Now, is there any other topic or issue you wish to broach at the moment?"

I shake my head negatively, not being able to think of anything else of pressing concern, and certainly not wanting to bring up the Didyme issue if he has seemingly forgotten it. It sort of surprises me that he has taken all my worries and calmly solved them or proved them of little substance; and yet they were causing me so much grief.

"Not even the issue of Didyme seemingly hanging over your head?"

I freeze for a moment, closing my eyes and kicking myself for thinking that Marcus forgot anything.

"Not really," I breathe.

Marcus is quiet for a moment and I open my eyes to see his face is unreadable. I rethink my words and once again resolve to try and be open with him. "Unless you think we should. I just, I know her death causes you pain…" I state warily.

Marcus sighs, softening a little. "Didyme has been gone a very long time, Isabella. I will always mourn her to an extent but she is in the past. You are my second chance, a gift from the gods and my future," he says firmly.

"I just," I start taking a deep breath, "I just feel like you were happy, and she fit so perfect with you all, and that I won't ever be able to live up to that."

Marcus nuzzles against my hair. "I would and will never expect you to become Didyme, sweet. You are fundamentally different than she was, not to mention shaped by your cultures and time periods profoundly. My relationship with Didyme had ups and downs like any relationship does, dearest, even one between mated vampires. Her ghost does not haunt me when you are around, my Bella. There is pain I was not able to protect her, but I do believe I am mentally ready to be a mate to _you_, not someone who has met flames. Do you understand my perspective? I merely wish for you to be yourself, my match for who I am now, not then."

Thinking it over I nod slowly. "I understand. I, if you don't mind of course, I'd like to hear more about her if you're willing. She just seems like such an important part of you and the Volturi. I guess I'd just like to learn more of your past, and where you came from."

Marcus stares down at me seemingly searching for the answer to a question he has. After a moment he answers, "That is agreeable as long as you swear to me that you will not compare yourself to her. You are not to attempt to change yourself based on tales I or anyone else tells you. And if you have questions or concerns about Didyme and I want you to ask me. My previous marriage and mating has the ability to destroy us before we even begin if you do not, I believe, Isabella."

"I swear to try not to compare myself to her. I think on one level I likely will, but I will attempt to focus on you words instead. And I promise to ask my questions."

"Very good. Remember that you may ask me anything at all, Isabella. I may not answer fully if I do not believe you would benefit from certain information, or about things I believe you would not wish to know, but I will always answer you.

Now while we are still partially on the topic of my providing for you, what exactly is it that you have been experiencing differently today both before and after Athenodora and Sulpicia informed you that you are experiencing mating drives?"

CPOV

I do not bother waiting for Aro to provide me with an explanation behind the horrifying word he directs at me in response to his behaviour. I know well enough by now that I will be provided with any details later after measures have been taken to raise our defenses sufficiently that we can take the time to speak without worry we will have enemies upon our doorstep. I split from Aro at the top of the stairs racing towards where I can hear Isabella crying. As I pass a guard a bark at them to uptake extreme defensive protocols. Behind me I hear Aro starting to instruct the guards to raise our highest alert. My black-haired brother hasn't slowed his pace any as he gives orders, letting me gather the seriousness of the situation, as I spit out my vauge instruction a few more times as I run.

Aro takes every opportunity to lord over anyone given the chance. That he isn't emphasizes the importance of our newest situation even more- though it is not as though I expected him to delay getting to his mate; similarly it is my primary concern at the moment as well.

When I arrive Marcus has only just managed to free Isabella from my mate. Knowing not to seem at all threatening towards Marcus or Isabella I carefully dart forward and pull Athenodora into my arms, positioning us so that I can still watch Marcus and the surrounding guards but so that my back is to a corner and a window is nearby.

Athenodora looks distraught by Isabella's reactions and I finally realize even more is going on at the moment than a possible invasion; when it rains it pours. My mate allows me to position her against me, only protesting silently when I go to block her sight of the room thus strengthening my prediction. A moment later, Athenodora confirms the suspicion.

"She's displaying all the symptoms of a newly mated vampire, but it's more than that too. I've never even heard of a human exhibiting faint signs of mating let alone the full-blown effect she's showing. She described them perfectly to me earlier when I noticed something different and asked her about it. Honestly Caius, it's frightening. I was holding her and it seemed to only help so much- she still twitched and jumped, trying to take in threats from all angles. And Bella's been like this since maybe half-way through our visit to the lingerie place, getting sequentially worse. I'm worried the stress of it will be too much for her human body."

I cuddle her closer in an attempt to ease her when Isabella's words to Marcus interrupt us. "I love you, Marcus, I love you so much. Please don't make me leave. I'm so sorry, so so sorry. I'll never live up to Didyme, I'll never be a good enough mate. But please don't make me leave, don't leave me. I don't want to be alone again, I don't want to be without you."

A hundred different reactions and thoughts fly through my mind in response to her words and I hiss in displeasure. Similarly, Aro begins speaking in protest, Sulpicia gasps, the guard breaks out in furious whispers and my mate yells out "Bella, no!"

Marcus freezes for a moment, in fact the only thing moving is his face as his emotions proceed from shocked to horrified enlightenment to devastated anger. Reacting negatively to our presence along with his own instincts raging off the charts to match his distraught mate's, my brother roars warningly at our small crowd. He then promptly promises that whoever of our group caused his mate so much anguish will dearly pay for their words or actions.

In response to this I forcefully move my wife behind myself, and suitably feel Athenodora clutch the fabric on the back of my shirt. Though I judge it unlikely that Marcus will attack us, thus leaving his mate vulnerable, I still will not take such a chance when he is so controlled by a mix of terror and anger brought on by vampire nature. As expected he instead retreats with his mate leaving down the hall.

**AN: So I know this has been forever and a day and I'm sorry for taking so long. I've just started a business and plan to open my online shop selling handmade nail polish (based off mythology) October 1****st**** so I've been hard at work with that. **

**You can check it out at**

**sprite beauty (period) storenvy (period) com **

**(without spaces)**

**As for the story, I'm still working on it! I have the next chapter planned out in full where you'll find out exactly how the Volturi know the Romanians as well as where Marcus and Bella left off. **

**Immeasurable thanks to those of you who reviewed and left me such kind messages and comments. I know I suck at responding to you but I truly truly truly appreciate you more than you could possibly know.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 **

**CPOV continued**

Thinking through the situation and taking my beloved's observations into account, I take a moment to follow Athenodora's previous advice to me and attempt to see the happenings before me and since Isabella's arrival through our human family member's eyes. For as insulting and devastatingly close to self-destruction both she and thus Marcus are now, I cannot really blame Isabella for her words. With the combination of Isabella's complete lack of self-confidence and Marcus recovering from depression, we have quite the conundrum. Mix in mating instincts no one saw coming in a human, and modern western culture's distain for dominant males and we have the following meltdown at a critical point. In fact my projections estimate if Marcus been absent approximately three hours longer, Isabella would have moved out of self-hating and devastated into suicidal hermit. Though Athenodora dislikes the title I gave to the final stage of mate rejection long ago, I truly do not believe there is any better way to describe the sudden need to go off alone and die.

That is besides the point, however. Though the majority of the issue lays with Isabella's insecurities, there is a great portion of her reaction that is due to Marcus trying not to frighten her off in our modern setting. It all boils down to one issue; vampires are not human. We can pretend all we wish, but in the long run we are no more human than a sprout is an oak, or a cub is an adult lion. There is a similarity present, but they are fundamentally different from one another.

Vampires have different instincts and motivations than humans, and thus we have differing actions. Though a large portion of the time we can and will act human and we have a variety of human characteristics, issues such as mates bring out the most savage and animalistic sides of us.

My point is that Marcus hasn't been able to turn her and thus has not undergone any of the mating rituals that we both traditionally undergo, nor the ones demanded by our very instincts. It is not that he needs to become unkind to her or change his overall treatment of Isabella, merely add to it and explain to her why they need to do certain initiatives. Truly I am hoping he will quickly realize this himself and handle the issues that rise from this development as quickly as possible. If not I will attempt to hint for Aro to push the issue.

"Caius, what caused you to rush in here so quickly?" my mate asks, tilting her head and angling her body so she can look at me. My body goes stiffer at the reminder, my jaw clenching.

"The Romanians seem to be making trouble again," I tell her quietly, my tone filled with ice. If possible I know Athenodora's face would be losing all of its colour at the moment. Her mouth opens in a terrified gasp and I feel her wrap her arms around my waist, pulling herself close to me in fear.

"By the Gods, no," she whispers, fingertips digging into the muscles of my back. I wrap one arm around her back hard, keeping one arm free just in case.

"We will deal with this, Beloved, as we have done in the past," I say to her. I am sure it comes out woodenly but Athenodora knows very well that I am not trying to be gruff with her, she squeezes me in confirmation to my words.

In addition to Athenodora's brush with one of the Romanian patrolling groups resulting in the temporary loss of her arm, (one of the more terrifying experiences she has had the misfortune to partake in) she is likely also reliving the horror filled years during which we dethroned the Romanian coven as well as the events that led up to our usurpation.

When Athenodora recovered from her lost limb, my brothers and I immediately began to research and interrogate for more information concerning the Romanian coven. While we were evaluating their ruling practices as well as what provided them their power, word of the destruction of the coven who had harmed my mate travelled to the Romanian's ears.

A messenger was sent to attempt to find us, which after much deliberation and preparation we allowed in our presence. The Romanians asked for a meeting requesting our reasons for destroying part of their patrolling forces.

We of course refused the meeting, instead sending back a letter explicitly stating that we had no interest in them but that with one of our mates being attacked we rightfully took revenge as any self-respecting coven would. We then sent the messenger off and promptly moved ourselves to a new location.

A decade or so later we had continued our information gathering and kept under the radar. We had a solid and structured guard at that point instead of just a gaggle of random vampires willing to swear loyalty in return for protection, something we had worked ruthlessly on to bring to a higher standard than before. Murmurs of the Romanians interest in us, as well as destroying three patrol groups that had teamed up together in an attempt to take us by force to their masters set in motion another messenger.

This message insisted upon meeting us- implication included that a refusal would result in our destruction. They also coyly commented us on our prowess based off tales they had heard, and offered us a possible alliance. I immediately was drawn to the conclusion that this was quite possibly a trap, but that we needed to be extremely careful of how exactly handled ourselves. After hours of hurried discussion and searching through our options we decided to agree to a temporary alliance with the Romanian coven.

None of us was pleased with the decision, however signs all pointed to our burning deaths if we did not at the very least attempt to pacify the strongest coven in the world now that we had so attracted their interest. In addition to this, overall we were not pleased with the standards and generally blatant manner in which the Romanians ruled. Despite the increase in human awareness of the world around them (a trend I only could predict increasing overtime even then) the Romanians cared not for any vampire crime or trouble created amongst the humans. Having experienced the violent uprising and subsequent damage an angry mob of humans can do unexpectedly a couple times already, my brothers and I knew that their current course would only end in the hunt and eventual destruction our kind.

We agreed to a temporary alliance in hopes of fulfilling multiple objectives. The first of these objectives was to be seen as an ally to the Romanian coven, the second to hopefully temper their reckless rulings, the third to see if they knew any essential information about us in which they could use as leverage and finally to find what we could that would lead to their downfall. Because though the vampires that had attacked my mate by direction or sport were ash, I still felt an intense longing to make their masters suffer a hundred fold for her pain and the terror that had sprung from her in them trying to discover the location of our coven. All in all, the move was a risk but an essential one.

And so we met and joined the Romanians.

I can still remember Athenodora's face smooth as a calm lake. But like a lake, much was going on beneath her surface. I had spent hours upon hours with my mate the previous days working with her to project only an unbothered front. She still jumped and was frightened more easily than from before her attack some years before and I still had my hair-trigger vicious responses to her unease. Blatantly put she was scared out her mind with the newest line of events we had to undertake. Due to her unease my brothers and I spent weeks preparing and reworking scenarios in order to best protect our wives in such a dangerous arena. From what we knew, the Romanians were unstable at best (to a much greater extent than the borderline behaviour that Aro exhibits from time to time) and I certainly was not going to risk my wife in the process of soothing our allies by necessity. We were present in the Romanian court because of it being the only series of events that would keep our coven safe, but during the time required I was on high alert at every moment.

Most of my concern about my mate comes from the fact that she is slightly naïve. Despite her outspoken mouth and opinions, she was the daughter of a noble and had led a sheltered life before my arrival. Due to my over-protectiveness after I took her as my wife, this continues as much as I am able in her new vampire life. I am not overly emotional, nor outspoken with my feelings but I have always doted upon Athenodora more than some would deem appropriate and kept her safe as a good husband should. That I had failed her so greatly when she was attacked still weighed heavily on me.

She of course has been exposed to the horrors of the world, both human and vampire before this event. I remember quite vividly the time she first saw a man kill a slave child in the street within her sight. I had to hold her back from interfering then and later I embraced her as she shuddered and tried to come to terms with the event. I also held the man's neck at angle for her, stroking her hair as she drained his blood for his family to find his corpse the next morning.

But in the case here I could not take action as I so wished. I could not avenge her due to the Romanians actions, and so she suffered and I agonized with her. My brothers and I had vowed revenge against these beings that so carelessly and effortlessly damaged my mate and that is all I could provide for her in comfort. Well that and a sincere promise that she would always be under guard during the period of our residence- as would my sister-in laws as well.

I still remember Athenodora shuddering in revulsion and fear completely silent in our new chambers due to the sarcastic and leering greeting the Romanians gave not long before. They focused on her of course, accurately guessing the weak link from their success before. She had done well, only giving off hint of her unease once and not mouthing off which is in her nature and something I have always enjoyed watching her do, but alas something she would have to curb during our residence.

The Romanians numbered in seven. Vladimir, Stephan, Yuri, Sergei, Marek, Borislav, and Liev with their mates Ekaterina (Marek), Svetlana (Yuri), and Zinaida (Liev). The eldest four were Vladimir, Borislav, Liev, and Stephan. All were elder than us though only Vladimir by more than a century. Marek, Yuri, and Sergei, were all younger, Sergei only just over a century old at the time. The issue we had heard from various gossip was that anytime one of the younger members began to think outside the current regime in place they mysteriously vanished. And their spot was promptly replaced with a new vampire. This provided just another hint that we needed to watch our every move.

One of the few advantages we had amongst us was that the Romanians were partially blind when it came to our prowess. They knew Aro was able to gather information but not exactly how. They were also well aware of my temper and accompanying sadistic streak when angered as well as Marcus' decent ***snort*** battlefield knowledge. So we appeared useful, yet not too strong to be any threat to them.

And so we slowly maneuvered ourselves to be not only influential and useful to our enemy, but indispensable. All the while holding our secrets and weaknesses as far from sight as possible. The couple years we spent with the Romanians was short in reality but one of the most difficult physically, mentally and emotionally in our existence as a coven.

Athenodora of course was the most affected of us, something Stephan picked up on early on and ruthlessly took advantage of at any opportunity. Not enough to justify a confrontation from me but something that increased my wrath all the same. Little things such as sharp words aimed at her but said in such a way as to be stating merely fact. Or bringing up some of her seldom mistakes whenever possible in attempts to humiliate her. Every opportunity to attempt to rip my mate's self-confidence down was taken. In addition to this, he would set happenings up so that some of the Romanian's underlings would harass her, who I of course would then destroy in revenge. However, though Marcus' observations, Aro's subtle probing and clues put together from what these disposable cretins would taunt my wife with we could easily tell that these events were all due to Stephan's manipulations; of which he readily claimed no knowledge of. Needless to say it was not long before Athenodora barely left my side, and if she did she stayed with Sulpicia.

It was actually at this point that Athenodora and Sulpicia became as close as they are. Didyme at the time would try to be comforting but having never had such a time in her life of repeated humiliation did not truly grasp what Athenodora was experiencing, unlike Sulpicia. In addition, though I never witnessed it myself, Athenodora who had been closest to Didyme mentioned quietly on a few occasions after an event concerning Stephan that she seemed to have been fed up with Athenodora's complaints or upset. My wife had described Didyme's tone as 'biting' or sometimes even condescendingly amused. This weaker point in their friendship caused my beloved increased strain through the already difficult period.

I personally believe that part of the issue was Didyme's own stress at occurring events of the time in addition to her never having been a victim of hostilities. Didyme for all her happiness and charm had afterall lived with Aro for the majority of her life and thus early on developed a tough skin and an observe eye. So her words to Athenodora were likely out of confusion as to why my wife did not simply let it go, or to think harder on scenarios to avoid his attention.

Didyme being wife of Marcus as well as sister of Aro seemed to be the most respected of our wives, though it was more in such a way that she was politely greeted and then ignored for the most part unlike Athenodora who was ignored completely and Sulpicia who was abruptly greeted and then promptly forgotten. To my eyes this seemed to be a trend among the Romanians. Their own mates were mostly just tolerated by the others, though Zinaida seemed to be best treated. If I was forced to guess this was due to the fact that she was Liev's mate who as one of the eldest ruling males demanded the most respect.

Over time we were able to subtly change the way the Romanian's ruled on a fair number of issues- though never to the point where any of us was satisfied. They had a particular taste for the ruthless insanity of child vampires and upon discovering the existence of werewolves (something that took us all by surprise) we could see their ambition rise and hints of world domination began to drop. Stephan in particular had a wide creative sadistic streak which he took glee in whenever possible. Unlike with Aro who only ever indulged himself when dealing with an enemy, Stephan particularly enjoyed toying with innocents; women specifically.

Also, unlike the three of us the Romanians had a hierarchy within themselves. On most issues yes, they took things to vote within the seven of them but it always seemed as though some votes counted more than others. Vladimir's held the most as the eldest followed by Borislav and Liev coming in with equal influence followed closely by Stephan. The rest excluding Sergei had equal standing and Sergei had the least influence being the youngest, most blind and quick to act without thinking through all the consequences, though that indeed increased his danger factor due to his unpredictability.

It still came as a shock when my brothers and I were ambushed one day in our private parlour that connected to our three suites. We had been planning the Romanian's destruction for going on eight years at that point from within our alliance and so we had been on our guard but seeing that it was some of our own guard members that attacked us made me fear for our survival, especially that of our wives whom were outside in the outer gardens at the time.

We were instantly flooded with opponents though most were significantly less trained in combat than us. It later would come to my attention that Sulpicia whom had taken to checking in our parlour window whenever she passed it, alerted our loyal guards and one of our allies who was positioned not too far from the Romanian's central territory. She with one of the guard ran to them begging for help while my beautiful stubborn wife and Didyme descended into the madness along with us, despite our edicts that they were to escape if anything such as this were to happen.

Athenodora and Didyme were separated fairly early on as Didyme insisted on keeping watch to see exactly what was going on from a neighbouring building, worried if the Romanians would add themselves to our dispute as well. She told Athenodora that she would send our allies on as soon as they appeared and send word through one of her two guards if our attackers gained any reinforcements.

Hard pressed though I am to admit it, during those long hours of fights, my wife did well. She mainly stuck to the fringes of the battle (as she would later inform me) taking out those she could. It wasn't until the fight had moved to the central courtyard of the Romanian fortress that I spotted her for the first time becoming instantly furious that she risked herself so. It was less than ten minutes later that she would tackle me to the ground from the side preventing an attacker from taking my head and easily tossing it into one of the many surrounding fires already pouring black smoke.

Not long after Sulpicia and our Scottish Pict ally then known by his first name Oengus but now by his more modern name Angus, and his warriors arrived and we were able to end the skirmish for the time being. Through Aro we found out that someone (we could not pin down who exactly) within our guard had sworn themselves to the one of the Romanians, and that the attack was orchestrated by them upon finding out some of our true motives leaked to them from this source.

It was not fifteen minutes later that we were attacked by a second wave this time of werewolves with the Romanian coven in the background orchestrating the mess.

Marcus however, was a man possessed as he always has been when in his warring element and under his direction we worked our way through a large portion of the wolves before they finally changed with the dawn, back to mere strengthened humans; beings with no real match to us.

By this point of course the Romanians began to get nervous and Vladimir seemingly disappeared sometime throughout the battle quickly followed by the other rulers.

It was this second multi-day battle that brought down the main force of the Romanians. It was also shortly afterwards that we found embers and ashes that smelt of Didyme and her guards; her wedding jewelry a molten blob of metal and covered precious stones. Needless to say Marcus was beyond enraged and broken. Aro was in a deep state of shock as was I, though to a slightly lesser extent. My wife was hysterical and Sulpicia seemed to shut down to a mix of icy blankness.

Angus helped us in the following days refocus and get back on our feet so to speak, personally taking Marcus out to feed by force as he had been refusing up until that point. When they returned Marcus was in possession of his first broad sword and relit with a fire for vengeance. It took us a week total to plan and implement our counter-attack.

And vengeance is what we spent the next two decades attempting to achieve. We slowly hunted down and wrangled out of hiding all but two of the coven: Vladimir and Stephan. We of course grew frustrated when Marcus changed so much we could hardly recognize him, in addition to of lack of success destroying the last two of the Romanians. Eventually we received a messenger who upon Aro reading revealed the source of our difficulties- the fact that Vladimir was unparalleled at making himself seemingly disappear into thin air for as long as he wishes. The message we received formally swore that they had nothing to do with our guards betrayal (lie) and that it is a waste of time for both of our much reduced covens to keep up such a fruitless rivalry between us that it would be best to leave one another alone. They then swore not to plot or revolt against us if we left them alone (another lie).

Not seeing any other possibility though between Aro and I we decided to agree hopeful that with time they would reveal themselves again and we could succeed in avenging Didyme when we had once more consolidated our power base as well as after we took up the mantle of ruling the vampire world before the vacuum created caused even more chaos amongst our kind and in turn the humans.

Marcus raged for days, destroying our temporary home of the time in his anger at our discontinued search. He finally calmed when he almost attacked Sulpicia in his blind rage and she whimpered and called desperately for Aro.

Marcus immediately backed down, softly in monotone apologizing for frightening her and swearing that he as always would not harm those within our family. It was after this that Marcus became as blank as he was, the depression caused by Didyme's death consuming him almost entirely.

It has been one thousand years but those years in particular are as vivid as if they had just occurred. Whereas vampires can with some minimal effort forget the more mundane happenings overtime (or at the very least sort of hide them away within our minds), profound events such as those will never fade no matter our considerable brain capacities.

The thought of revenge finally fulfilled is satisfying but the risk our slowly healing coven will undergo, the chance of losing another mate when we are finally complete again; that terrifies me to no end.

**AN: I felt I should split the chapters here, but I wrote it all as one, so you're getting two updates at once. Sorry for the long wait everyone!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**MPOV**

Isabella chews on her lip in response to my question and I am not sure if this action is due to nervousness or her attempting to word her feelings in her mind. This unknowing bothers me, as it does emphasize again that I need to be more observant with her.

"At first I was just short tempered," she admits finally, reaching up to absently play with a couple strands of my hair. I ignore her action not minding the habit she seems to be picking up.

"How so, sweet? Was it any event in particular, or merely just a general mood of discontent?"

My Bella pauses for a moment thinking before blushing lightly. My eyes darken a little in response to her blood so close to the surface of her skin. Normally I can control the impulse but with how intense my instincts are at the moment, especially considering my mate, attempting to do so would be fruitless.

"It started at the lingerie store," she states not exactly answering my question but turning the focus of her eyes to her fingers playing with my hair instead of meeting my eyes.

"Did something happen that caused you distress in the lingerie store?" I question lightly, forcing myself to ignore the slightly humorous flashes of thoughts about Isabella in under-things riding up and therefore causing her distress. I roughly force myself back to the matter at hand as I quickly contemplate other much more sinister events that could fall into the category of distressing.

"Not really," Bella states evasively.

I sigh in frustration. "Isabella."

"Ugh, Marcus I doubt very much you want to hear how much modern underwear styles are miserable and uncomfortable as well as the pressure to wear them."

I pause for a moment at this. "We can get some made in a style you prefer if you wish, or you can simply forgo them, I will not mind."

As I looked down at her an edge of smile at the corner of my lips Bella's pout held strong for a moment before turning her head to the side to try and hide the returning smile that bloomed. She then swats at my shoulder.

"Shut up," she grumbles, lightness creeping into her tone against her will.

"I am quite serious sweet, underwear is completely unnecessary. I'm Roman, trust me none of the social classes of my time wore undergarments, and I'm sure it will be especially comfortable for you on hot days. Athenodora has bought you some light weight sundresses has she not? Those would go nicely and provide easy access." I tease grinning cheekily at her.

Bella's face quickly bloomed in a blush before she swatted my shoulder again. I barely felt it but it made me laugh a little. "I'm not forgoing underwear completely! Just the stupid ones."

I exaggerate a pout, "That is a true shame," I say nudging her so she'll look at me again despite her embarrassment. "It would have created easier access for both of us. Maybe with time you will allow me to convince you of the benefits."

It takes her a moment to realize the implication of my words and her face reddens even further, her eyes widening hugely. "Don't tell me things like that!" she automatically replies astonished and covering her mouth. "Now that's going to pop into my head at random times!"

"Then we should be on even ground, yes?"

Isabella appears to gape for a moment before turning her face away into the pillow beneath her head.

Noticing that I may have pushed her too far I say "Never mind for now, sweet. Continue."

Bella nods to herself, her cheeks still pink. "I guess after a bit I thought I was just being moody, then a bit paranoid. Like I was too vulnerable and exposed. I thought it was just being in public with crowds and things so I took some Xanax, but it didn't really work. It was when I realized that I started to become frightened. I've never had it fail before. And that just made me more anxious, you know?" she asks, trying so hard for me to explain her jumbled feelings. I have no doubt that her thought process is and was a little cloudy considering her reactions not too long ago. I nod trying to encourage her to keep speaking.

"And when we stopped for lunch I kept having to glance over my shoulder, and though I was hungry and thirsty I couldn't take more than a couple swallows. It just seemed to feel wrong and bland. Like something was wrong even though the food looked and smelt fine."

My mind is quickly attempting to make connections with her symptoms and with what I know about both mating bonds and mating instincts. If I am correct about my suspicions, I may just need to seemingly provide for her sustenance personally. If that fails however, I am highly worried that she may require blood, and with her past traumas and human state I do not believe she can handle that consumption even if it is a necessity. There is so much here that is unknown about human-vampire bonds that I feel quite out of my depth.

"I may know some possible solutions to that reaction, Bella, first though I want you to finish informing me of every symptom you are experiencing so I have a full scope of what is occurring," I instruct her, trying at the same time to sound serious but reassuring.

My little mate bites her lower lip nervously nodding up at me in response. Looking at her I once again notice how small and delicate she is compared to me, her fragile little heart pumping her small amount of blood to all her organs allowing her to be with me. I am not quite sane at the moment, my instincts still strong after her emotional breakdown, and my noticing our size difference merely brings another wave forward of possessiveness, protectiveness and lust. I rumble to her gently, licking and kissing the pulse point of her neck delicately once more. She makes a quiet noise between a gasp and a sigh, eyelids fluttering a little as she relaxes more fully beneath me. My erection hardens at the sound and a feel a burst of pride at her reaction. I adore having her so completely surrounded by my frame, keeping her entirely to myself, shielding her from harm and sight. Intellectually I acknowledge that a part of this is due to my instincts demanding I protect her, but that does not change my emotions.

I tear myself away from the instinctive responses she brings out in me by pure will alone knowing I must finish listening to her in order to help her effectively. "What else?" I prompt knowing I distracted her and trying to resume our conversational strain.

"Umm…" she mutters attempting to refocus. "I started noticing the male guards, and not in a good way," she adds causing me to first tense then relax at her words. "Whenever I saw one I started to feel panicky. I found the only way to function at all was to cling to Athenodora. We were at the museum when she noticed something was wrong. She pointed out to me that I was fidgeting more and tenser in the larger rooms or when I was close to the male guards, even Afton who I actually like. When Sulpicia and Athenodora mentioned mating instincts I guess something kinda crumbled. It was like whatever was on the edge just sort of broke over. All I could think about was all my doubts and insecurities about us. That even trying was fruitless and would lead to only pain."

My eyes sharpened at her words, two things bothering me about her statement. "What exactly were you contemplating those last moments with Athenodora, Isabella?"

She shakes her head roughly as if trying to dispel her own thoughts. "Nothing, it's not im-"

"When I found you it was as if you were heart broken, Isabella. As if you would never be happy again. Do not even dare suggest that whatever you had thought was unimportant. Tell me," I order her.

"You'll be upset," she whispers softly, eyes scrunched together. She looks both stubborn and afraid. Though I dislike it I quickly realize I am going to have to push the issue, if we are going to move forward.

"I already am upset, Isabella. We just spoke about you being honest with me, and yet you continue to hide."

She nods frantically, her eyes still closed. "I know, and I'm so sorry, I just I don't know how to stop it seems, and I don't want to hurt you. It'll hurt you!" she exclaims hands fisting in my shirt.

"Just tell me Isabella. I know your instincts and emotions are all over the place right now, and I understand that thoughts are not actions. Speak to me."

With a cry she finally spits it out, "I had decided I needed to leave. That I was only going to make us both miserable and that if I left maybe you could find another mate and be happy. I just don't want to ruin you, like I have ruined so many other people. I'm still so unsure how me being with you can possibly end with you being happy."

I am silent a moment as I take in the ramifications of her statement. Things we much more dire than I had contemplated, though not irreparably it seemed. That she even contemplates leaving me shows how strained the instincts are, but that she did not attempt to go through with it and still accepts and reciprocates my touch indicates there is hope yet.

A part of me snaps at that moment the mere imagining of my little mate self-loathing, alone and out of my protection. My muscles tense and I throw back my head roaring my anger and terror to all at such a thing possibly occurring.

Once I stop voicing my displeasure I look down at Isabella again, using my weight to push her further into the mattress beneath us. She flinches at first and I sigh internally aware that I have frightened her. After covering her completely I angle my head so that my cheek rests against her temple, my lips by her ear.

"You are my mate, Isabella. _Mine_, and to say that you belong anywhere but at my side infuriates me. Mates are _always_ happiest and most content in the presence of their other half. I _will_ love you, protect you and cherish you, Isabella for the rest of our existence whether you consent at first or not. I know that you wish me happiness, but I cannot achieve it without you by my side. You are _mine _and I will _never_ give you up for _any_ reason. I will follow you to the ends of the earth if you were to even attempt to leave," I inform her, knowing there is an intensity in my tone that is likely to disconcert her at least slightly. What I say though is the truth though, and it is better if she knows now. When it comes to her nothing and no one, even her own self-sacrificing fears will separate us.

"I want to be with you," Isabella whispers out, her voice so small in the face of my wrath. I take an unneeded breath to help focus and dial myself back some.

"I know you do sweet, and I desire to be with you. Know that I will never harm you, either Isabella. Not even at my most angry. Open your eyes for me and relax, dearest and I will try and explain my reaction, alright?" I say in a softer tone, leaning back so there is some room between us again.

Bella nods cautiously, slowly opening her eyes. I stroke her stomach in long soothing strokes across the soft skin, trying to bring her nerves down some, feeling bad she is so tense once more due to my outburst.

After a minute she shudders in reaction to my touch before her muscles relax ever-so-slightly. "That you thought about and decided to leave me is a vampiric instinct that occurs when one mate feels rejected or insufficient to the other. If the mate does leave then in most cases they descend so deeply into depression that they either go mad, or commit suicide. Not even the intervention of the other mate is helpful at that point. The thought of you in doing such to yourself as well as you being unprotected on top of the fact that you feel so unsure about our relationship that it has led to this point, all compounded together into my reaction. Do you understand why your words moved me so?" I ask trying to help her understand where I am coming from.

My Bella nods, her eyes wide, staring up at me. "I don't really want to leave Marcus, I just feel that I should or that things would be better if I did. Well kinda."

I tilt her chin in order to capture and hold her gaze. "That is the instinct. Has it lessened any since we have come here?"

Isabella pauses for a moment contemplating her emotions. "I think so. I mean it's still there a bit, but when… when you touch me it seems to fade almost completely."

I nod, thankful to hear her response though I suspected her answer. "Over the next couple days the sensation should disappear completely. In the meantime as I work to build your trust in me you must ignore the sensation as much as you possibly can, and notify me if it worsens or becomes more apparent. This is extremely important, Isabella. Mated vampires require each others attention and touch. In order for us to get through this and settle down once more we must go through some actions that will satisfy the variety of instinctual needs."

"What, what will we ha-have to do?" my little one asks, still not completely calm yet. I work to sooth her further, pleased that at least she is questioning me.

Stroking her stomach and briefly nuzzling her neck I reply, "Not much more than merely this, sweet. Holding, kissing, touching, stroking you. With you beneath me such as this my instincts are pleased because no others can see you let alone reach or harm you. Yours should pick up on my protecting and thus caring and coveting you. The smaller room we are in, with only a single barricaded entrance reduces threats and the possible direction of them. You should be feeling less vulnerable and exposed, especially as I have kept myself between you and the door since arrival. Newly mated female vampires are often confused as the venom and instincts try to accommodate the new bond, thus resulting in these seemingly illogical feelings and emotions.

"The darker room makes for less stimuli to assault you quite as harshly, hence why I have not turned on the light. Your fear of the male guards is also related to the confusion, as it is my responsibility to shield you while the bond adjusts between us, and another male interfering could be disastrous. This is again why you latched onto Athenodora the way you did. Athenodora is not only someone whom you trust but is also a firmly mated female. Having gone through the same allows her instinctually to recognize the fragile state you are in and try to help stabilize you until I could arrive. Sulpicia likely could have done the same but you are closer to Athenodora and so chose her.

"As for the issue with food and drink I believe it will be solved as long as I provide it to you. The act is usually done as a gift of sorts when newly mated allowing me to prove to you that I am both willing to provide for you but also reducing your vulnerability if you were to hunt yourself."

Isabella nods along with my explanations, much of the confusion leaving her face as I continued. "That doesn't sound so bad," she says, and I kiss her forehead in response. I then thread my fingers through her hair and cup the side of her face, satisfied when she sighs and leans into my hand.

"It does not have to be sweet. If you place your trust in me the worst it will be is very strange at times, I believe."

"Okay, I will try…What about my wrist, Marcus? Why is it hurting me?"

I pause instantly worried as she should not be feeling any physical pain. "What do you mean Isabella, you did not mention you were pained before."

"I thought I mentioned it?" she asks looking to me with confusion, and I shake my head negatively in response to her silent question. She had not informed me of such previously.

"It's where first James and then Edward bit me. In the past it has felt oddly cold or slightly achy but earlier today it started throbbing and aching. It feels stiff and uncomfortable a little like it did when it was first healing. It seems to hurt less and be less bothersome in sort of waves before it intensifies again." As she speaks Bella begins to rub the area in question with her opposite hand and I carefully peel her fingers away to take a closer look.

In the past I have not wanted to bring her bite up though of course I was aware of it; however I thought her healed completely thus it being merely a scar. Quite obviously I was wrong on that account.

Against her porcelain skin the scar tissue makes out two perfect dental impressions overlapped approximately though not perfectly in her flesh. Around the bites other scarring has occurred, likely from one or both of the cretins tearing at her at least partially. Thin scars from various cuts, likely from glass also dot up and down her arm.

Brushing my fingers over the mark I can feel a distinct temperature difference within her skin, indicating that though that child Edward may have sucked out most of the venom, some whether it be his own or the rouge James' still remained in my mate. This realization prompted several others; firstly, that this small amount of vampire venom may be at least partially responsible for my Bella's intense vampire mating instincts. Secondly, that I know not exactly is the best course of events to take to relieve her pain. Venom being something so intimate in our world of course drove me to distraction upon thinking that two other male's very essence was beneath my mate's soft pale skin, that it was paining her pushed me even further. Foreign venom is highly painful to any vampire if injected via bite into a vampire, excluding that of a mates, even a sire's stung and burned. However over time the pain does stop as our venom overtakes the foreign vampire's converting it. That the venom has been held suspended within Bella and yet has not changed her, nor dissolved or excreted away, leaves the situation we are in along with the question as to why her pain has increased and flares in waves only after her new instincts come to the fore.

"You should not be experiencing any pain, dearest, and though I have a theory about why this may be occurring I do not know for certain. I detest having to ask this of you but is the pain bearable for you right now?"

My brave little mate sets her face stubbornly and nods. "It isn't comfortable, but I can deal with it. Why?"

"I would like to consult with Aro and Caius before I attempt anything, sweet. If it is greatly paining you I will try to remove the foreign venom in your wrist right away but I prefer to not risk changing you or biting you unless necessary. One of the family may know more. It is likely that this foreign venom in your system is causing such strong instinctive responses in you and the pain."

"There is some still in there?" she asks looking at her wrist, "but why haven't I turned or something?"

"There is such a small amount of venom trapped beneath your skin there that I am not surprised that you have not turned, and likely your human body cannot process it and so eliminate it. As I said though, one of the family may know more."

Bella nods and then sinks back into the mattress, yawning a few seconds later. "Do you require anything at the moment, my Bella?" I question gently.

She shakes her head negatively. "No, I'm fine, just tired."

"Try to sleep then, dearest. I am not going to leave you so you have nothing to fear." She nods again her eyelids fluttering sleepily and it doesn't take long for the effect of the rollercoaster of emotions she has been experiencing to take over completely.

APOV

Isabella seems much smaller than normal perched upon Marcus' lap as she is. Intellectually I am aware that she is about average in stature but one always tends to ignore her size when she is awake and present as her personality and expressions seem to draw you in.

It is quite late at the moment but we made the decision to return to Volterra as quickly as possible after Marcus finally emerged with his mate from the room he had holed them up in. Marcus being as on edge as he currently is responded remarkable well to the renewed Romanian threat, only destroying one of the interior walls of the townhouse and raging violently with curse words for a stretch of ten minutes, before he picked Isabella up once more from where he placed her safely on the top of a buffet table well away from any of the other vampires in the room and his path of destruction. We left shortly thereafter.

Isabella's eyes flutter slightly, her head resting heavily against my brother's shoulder. Marcus, finally acting like the newly mated vampire he is, brings a grape to her lips, which she accepts opening her mouth automatically when the fruit touches her. She chews slowly, one hand grasping out and attaching to Marcus' free wrist encouragingly wanting to connect with him as his fingers brush her chin affectionately.

"You should sleep, dearest," he whispers into her hair causing Isabella to wrench open her eyes, shaking her head stubbornly.

"I slept earlier," she argues quietly.

"It is late Isabella and the day has been long for you, sleep little one, please," he replies pleading with her in her worn out state. She burrows closer to him as though donning his protection. Her eyes close and she tucks her head tightly beneath his chin.

"Not safe," she barely utters against his skin, shivering along with her words. I quickly contemplate her reasoning and take note of the seating arrangements within the limo. Due to the threat some of the guard was within the vehicle with us and though there was space between them and our family Marcus and Isabella respectively are ever so slightly closer than the rest of us.

I stand as much as I can and pull Sulpicia with me drawing everyone's attention to us. "Switch with me, brother," I state, not moving too close to Marcus lest I be taken as a threat to his uneasy mate. Marcus of course is much more comfortable with Caius and I then with any of the male guards but it is best not to push things when his instincts are acting within him so strongly. I remember quite vividly removing Marcus' arm when I was newly mated to Sulpicia and she had finally explained why she had avoided me so much, and revealing her general fear of men. I had been extremely protective a couple months afterwards and Marcus had passed too close to us in the library one evening. Needless to say though a male guard or strange vampire would die in a similar situation being brothers only goes so far, and reattaching limbs is not something I am particularly fond of.

Marcus' eyes quickly darted around the vehicle's interior taking in the same facts as I before he met my gaze and nodded in agreement. Gently he scooped Isabella up and stooped over changed places with my wife and I. Once seated Isabella seemed to relax slightly, now bracketed on either side by only our main coven. Within a quarter of an hour she finally manages to drift off.

"Brother, may I see?" I ask Marcus reaching a hand out towards him. He stares for a moment thinking it over before he nods and offers me his hand. Lightly I touch my fingers to his wrist and take in everything that occurred within the last few hours from his perspective.

Instantly I begin to take the venom into account as well as all of Bella's reactions and words since joining us. The venom in her body could very well account for her enhanced shielding- or at the very least strengthened it to resist even my own honed ability. However, I have never heard of a case where the human continued living as a human after being bitten. In all my multi-millennia of experience humans have either died from the stress of the change being too great, been killed before the venom could fully penetrate or changed into a newborn vampire. Of course I'd never even considered removing the venom as a possibility. All things considered it was a stupidly risky endeavor to even consider, as a lesser amount of venom often merely results in the human dying due to the increased amount of time needed to undergo the change. The girl may very well have died an excruciating death, or been drained.

Marcus soon after interrupts my musings. "Do you have any suggestions on how to ease the pain in her wrist, Aro? I do not want to risk biting her unless necessary, but she is pained by it, though why suddenly it is an issue I do not know."

I think on this for a moment reviewing scenarios of past event with any similarity. "I agree in that the risk involved in biting Isabella's wrist once more and trying to remove the remnants and replace them with your own venom is a risk we should not take unless absolutely imperative. I'll send a guard for some topical numbing ointment that we shall try first. It is not a long-term solution but it should help. If it becomes more of an issue, I would recommend you licking the scared area. As her mate your venom and the other enzymes in our mouths may be enough to trigger whatever instincts Isabella has developed and may solve the issue. If that doesn't succeed we could inject local anesthetic in the area as well, again not a long-term solution but something to contemplate if her pain-level deteriorates. Worst comes to worst though you may have to attempt to recreate the events which caused the first bite and venom removal. If things come to that point then we'll acquire some pain-killers and drug her before you start to decrease her awareness and hurting.

As for the reason behind her feeling pain I can only attribute it to a combination of her being human as well as it having a more profound effect over time. I believe it somehow brought about her mating instincts, but I also believe it brought a couple other vampire instincts too. The pain of the venom in a normal vampire once bitten by a foe is soothed by a mates as you know and already contemplated in coming up with a solution, but in us the foreign venom is removed or diluted off due to the large amount of our own venom source within us. Isabella does not have any venom of her own possibly causing the drawn out pain. As for the waves of pain then ease I have no possible explanation brother."

"You're speaking about Isabella's bite mark? On her wrist?" Sulpicia asks softly leaning against my shoulder while looking at Marcus and Isabella.

"Yes, my love," I answer her. "Do you have any thoughts on the matter?"

My wife pauses in thought for a moment and I resist the urge to touch her skin to watch her thought process. I have done so in the past and she has complained about feeling 'watched' and 'distracted' when I do so, so I resist this time as the topic is an important one. I do so love to see my mate put together ideas and theories however.

"The waves of the intensity of her pain could be due to her instincts- as they are all linked yes?" she states, looking to me for reassurance for whether or not she has made the right connection. I nod once in response.

"It may have to do with how close or secure she feels with you at any one time period, Marcus. Her stress level so to speak. Did she appear bothered by her wrist at all normally when you are near, brother?" she asks and I immediately see the simple brilliance of her theory. Everything could very well be affecting Isabella in a cyclical pattern. As her mate, Marcus' presence and venom would be the only stop in the circle as is in most vampire relationships. Mates are always the exception.

"That may very well be the case, my love," I praise my wife, catching her lips quickly and grinning widely at her. "We should all take note and see if this is part of the issue whenever Isabella is within the vicinity," I direct. Marcus grumbles in discontent likely due to the sub-text that Isabella will be somehow out of his sight within the oncoming week or so, but I ignore him, and things within the limousine settle back down again. Though my brothers do not outwardly state so I know they are grateful for my presence and problem solving. I settle back against my wife quite pleased with the day's abundance of information and outcome. Marcus is finally acting like a mated vampire should, his relationship with Isabella seems stable for the moment, we have advance warning of the Romanian's plans and we are all about to be safely within Volterra once more. Yes, overall I am pleased.

**AN: Phew, so that's that. They are on there way back to Volterra and you all know what is going on for the most part. Things are going to pick-up soon story-wise. At least that's the plan. Hope you all are still with me!**

**I didn't edit the last two chapters very much so I apologize not only for the long wait for the update but also any typos. If you have any questions leave them in a review and I will try my best to get back to you!**

**Also, as always huge thanks to my reviewers (especially the ones that review a good portion of time after I post). You guys seriously keep me going, without you this story would forever live in my head.**

**For those of you interested in my nail polishes that I'm selling I have a working Facebook page for it now (Hebridean Sprite Beauty). I recently released a vampire shade that was inspired by this story called Royal Vampire. I'm quite pleased with it anyways lol.**

**Until next time, hopefully before the holidays but if not have a wonderful Holiday season whatever you celebrate!**


	18. Chapter 18

**WARNING: Sexual content between two consenting adults occurs during this chapter. If you do not agree with reading such or are not of age to read it please do not read this. In fact you should really just stop reading my story all together. Thank-you.**

**Chapter 18**

BPOV

Waking up I am extremely comfortable but am vaguely aware something is missing. Slowly I turn a bit under the covers causing them to rustle and realize I'm still in my clothes from last night. As sense starts to come back I faintly remember eating grapes that Marcus was feeding me- and wasn't that about the height of decadence? It certainly wasn't a conscious choice. The guard had stocked the kitchen in Florence with various foodstuffs and Marcus had chosen grapes after I confirmed that I liked them. They were a win-win decision as they required no cutlery, no preparation and his fingers stayed relatively clean.

Becoming more awake, thoughts of Marcus, grapes and conjured images of Roman Gods holding grapes and wine come to me. From random interest readings I remember stories about Bacchus (or as the Greeks called him Dionysus) becoming drunk and dancing or engaging in most forms of debauchery. This of course brings heady images of my own Roman (which still throws me off in awed disbelief at times) Marcus himself and me with those grapes and less clothing. Instinctively I blush but enjoy the idea all the same. Which makes me realize what exactly is missing. My eyes snap open.

"Marcus?" I call barely a millisecond after the thought crosses my mind. I never even make the conscious decision to call for him- his name just crosses my lips.

There is a swooshing sound of air movement followed by a light breeze before Marcus himself rounds the corner into the room. I'm slightly startled not only by his sudden appearance but the realization that it has taken me this long to notice I'm in a completely strange room. Or set of rooms if the lack of door Marcus passed through is any helpful hint.

"Good Morning, sweet. Did you sleep well?" Marcus asks softly crouching beside the bed near my head. I blink a few times before I nod and push myself partially upwards to see him better. At the same time I reach forward and grab his hand. He smiles at me and brushes the backs of my knuckles with his lips.

"Where am I?" I ask my voice slightly raspy from sleep still.

"These are my newly re-finished rooms, dearest. I thought it best with all that has occurred not only between ourselves but also with the possible danger of the Romanians that you be in the more secure part of the castle with me. I will of course vacate the bedroom for you as you please but as this is were our family resides the security is much more stringent."

"Oh, yeah, that's fine. This room is beautiful; the wood work is amazing."

Marcus glances idly at the aforementioned feat of carpentry framing the ceiling of the room. "Ah, yes. Well the wood has not been changed since it's installation about hmm seven hundred years ago? I am gladdened you are fond of it though. It is quite lively."

I'm sure my eyes are a little wide at such a casual mention of seven-hundred year old hand-carved carpentry that must have taken the maker months upon months to finish. The wood is dark with age and slightly cracked in some places but exquisitely perfect in it's flow from one pastoral scene to another. Lambs in flower filled meadows, men on horses hunting, vines with faces peaking out- all seamlessly integrated.

Most of the walls are the same stone as the rest of the castle though the ceiling is made of wood as well. The bed-frame is large and takes up most of the room, slate blue covers rumpled over me. Beneath the bed over stone floors (which I assume to be as cold as the rest of the castle) is a large cushy-looking rug. It looks expensive and detailed but from my position on the bed all I can see are some subdued blues and green shades. All in all so far Marcus' rooms were quite a step up from the room I was staying in before- and really those weren't a hardship.

Seeing my shifting focus on my surroundings, Marcus gently brings my attention to him once finished by stroking my fingers.

"Through the door on the left is your dressing room which is attached to your clothing closet. On the right is the bathing area and such. The centre door is my dressing room and similar clothing storage. Through the entryway is our private living space, which holds my collection of books as well. Connected to it is my study, the balcony and the entrance-waiting room, which connects to the rest of the castle. Down the corridor holds the suite of Aro and Sulpicia's rooms and across from us Caius and Athenodora's."

"Wow, when you said rooms I guess I didn't think you meant your own mini apartment sort of thing."

Marcus' lips twitched into a small smile. "Caius, Aro and I may be brothers, my Bella but we all still enjoy our privacy and get tired of putting up with one another from time to time. Not to mention the guards are not even allowed in this wing except when patrols are enforced or to clean. Our own suites allow us to confer safely without others overhearing and we can act completely without facades. Not that we change much for the guard as we mostly trust them but you'll find that Caius for example tends to show any bouts of playfulness only when amongst family or that Sulpicia and Aro will get amourous with one another at the drop of a hat if not distracted by appearances."

"What about Athenodora?" I question curious, pulling myself up to sit against the headboard more comfortably, drawing the comforter around myself more to fight the spring chill still in the air.

Marcus chuckles grinning at me and perching on the side of my bed. "Athenodora acts like herself almost all the time, not too concerned as to where she is. It is a trait that Caius both adores her for and one that frustrates him greatly in turn. It is also one of the reasons that Caius acts colder in the presence of outsiders- his exterior and frosty presence has kept more than one vampire humble towards Athenodora in fear of his wrath alone."

I nod taking all the information in. What Marcus doesn't say is anything regarding himself but from what I have seen of him so far (though it has been under a month as difficult as that is for me to get my head around) Marcus tends to be quiet and serious for the most part. Except when it comes to me as breathtaking as that is. I blush slightly at my own thoughts.

Something in Marcus' eyes change slightly as he takes in my pink tinted cheeks and it both thrills and frightens me a tad. Not wanting to think on it I quickly ask my question. "Are there any plans for today?"

Marcus brushes his thumb over my knuckles and the look quickly vanishes though I have the feeling that he has taken my reaction into account- what he got from me though, I have no clue.

"My brothers and I will meet briefly with the guard as well as together in response to the events of yesterday. Athenodora, Sulpicia and yourself will be required later for a time to go over any established plans. For the most part though it would be best if you and I spent most of the day together if you have no objections."

A part of me warms at that pleased that even with everything going on (some of which I don't clearly understand- like why Marcus got so upset yesterday before we left Florence) Marcus still plans to keep me involved and by his side. When he mentioned the meetings a small part of me felt a little cold.

"Sounds good," I reply throwing the covers off. "I'll just get dressed and brush my teeth and stuff."

Marcus nods and stands dropping my hand. "Take your time, sweet," he instructs kindly, kissing my forehead as I swung my feet over the side of the high bed. "I adore you Isabella," he states suddenly meeting and capturing my eyes.

I'm a little surprised but quickly respond "I love you too, Marcus."

"Dress warmly it is cooler today. I shall be in the study just past this room when you finish. I shall start a fire for you."

"'Kay," I reply still a bit taken aback by his sudden charming words. He leaves with a glance I can't quite interpret and I shake myself before leaving to inspect the bathroom and dressing room more closely.

Ready for the day, I pad through the doorway in my sock feet into the main area of Marcus' rooms. It is warmer out here and as promised Marcus has a fire going in a large beautifully detailed stone fireplace that takes up a good portion of the far wall. This room is done in rich royal purples and charcoal greys- and I quickly notice some of the furniture that I had absently admired while helping Athenodora and Sulpicia with decorating ideas.

Marcus is sitting in a large royal purple armchair and I pause suddenly indecisive. Normally I just take whatever spare seat is beside Marcus but out of nowhere I dislike that option.

"Come here, dearest," Marcus directs thankfully taking the decision out of my hands, as he holds out his arm to me.

He gently grasps my outstretched palm when I am a little closer and quickly and efficiently draws me forward onto his lap. I am straddling his thighs my legs bent comfortably on either side of his legs upon the large chair. Without thinking I place my hands on his shoulders for balance, letting out a little gasp at his fast movement.

"The mating instincts tend to hit when least expected, do they not?" Marcus questions leaning back into the chair slightly one hand spanning over the bottom of my waist and upper hip while the other brushes back loose hair behind my ear. It takes me a moment to understand what he's referring to.

"Is that why I suddenly didn't know where to sit?" I ask.

Marcus nods once somberly. "I know they are confusing for you sweet, but you must try to follow them. Propriety and human connotations have very little influence on vampire mating habits, and the instincts are ingrained to be beneficial. It may take time to understand what is happening but I need you to try and be aware of what they are instructing you to do, and to attempt to the best of your ability to go along with them. By complying you will strengthen our bond and feel more secure. If you do not understand why you wish to do something please ask me, dearest and I will explain the reasoning to you. The instincts will not force you to do anything you do not wish, but they will advance our bond and allow us a closer connection to one another especially after you have turned.

I too will be acting more on my instinctual desires, my Bella. Again if I do something that confuses you, or frightens you, you _must_ tell me. Along with some traditional rituals that the majority of vampires observe they are all to strengthen the mating bond. I assure you that nothing will harm you, the instincts and traditions are there to solidify our relationship so that you will be safer and to allow me understanding of your nature. Will you promise me this?"

I nod a little nervous about the unknown element here but trusting him. "Yeah, I promise. It's just a little strange, my instincts as a human are pretty non-involved so I feel sort of lost. I just don't know what to expect."

"Hmm," Marcus sounds, seemingly contemplating my words. "I believe you are over thinking it, my Bella. Will you allow me to show you?"

I feel my eyes widen a bit watching his crimson eyes carefully. After a moment of his steady patient stare I swallow but nod again. Marcus then reaches over to the side table beside the chair and opens the little drawer. With one hand he pulls out a Bueno chocolate bar and absently pushes the drawer closed again. I smile and bounce once suddenly excited though more so than I usually am for chocolate- even my favourite kind of chocolate.

"Sulpicia mentioned that you prefer this kind of chocolate, sweet. Was she correct?"

I nod glancing a bit confused between the chocolate, and Marcus' face to his hands.

"You look so confused, dearest. Do not worry so continuously. Now what are you feeling?"

I shrug a little my eyes still darting between the chocolate bar and Marcus' face. "I'm excited and hopeful I guess."

"Very well," Marcus states bringing the chocolate so that it rests on his open palm on the arm of the chair. "Now take the chocolate."

I pause for a moment and look at him feeling that this is somehow a trap. He nods reassuringly.

"Alright," I mumble and I go to take the confection. Then I stop feeling that somehow taking it is wrong.

"Why do I feel like I shouldn't take it? You told me to take it and I want it but-"

In a rustle of movement Marcus opens the packaging on the chocolate treat, breaks off a small piece and places it between my lips. In a split second I go from confused and slightly subdued to pleased and happy. I sink into Marcus a little and suck lightly on the sweet milk chocolate with hazelnut cream filling. The confusion is still there though.

"I want you to liken the chocolate to a prey animal and vampires to carnivores. Imagine it for me if you will," Marcus states holding my gaze. I nod chewing the wafer within the chocolate piece and swallowing.

"I told you before male vampires feel the need to provide for their mate, this is a perfect example of both of our instincts at work. If a male carnivore goes out and hunts, then brings back his kill it is still his until he disposes of it or allows others to feed. For him the prey is a gift, and a way of physically showing his mate that the male is aware and attuned to her needs. As it is not a gift if she is required to take it, additionally the female knows that though they are mates a part of her realizes that he is more dangerous than she. The female would not risk angering the male on the mistake that he wishes to keep his kill for himself or that he is not her true mate. If he is to be a good mate he will of course want her to feed and so must directly give his prey to her so that no misunderstanding can take place. He proves that he is willing to hunt for her, and ensures she eats as well as solidifying that he is not mistaken in his choice of her as his other half. She sees he is willing to put her first and that she can trust him to take care of her needs to the fullest extent and that she is cared for."

Marcus breaks off another piece of chocolate and grasping his wrist with both hands I open my mouth automatically to take it from his fingers, my lips brushing his fingertips as his hand retreats.

"Male vampires are essentially carnivores and in normal vampire-vampire bonds a human is substituted for the chocolate here. Does your reaction make more sense, sweet?"

I nod my mind going a million miles an hour it seems. I do feel cared for and pleased as Marcus feeds me another piece. My teeth scrape over the tips of his fingers this time as I try to get all the chocolate. Marcus makes a low deep sound and I can feel his erection twitch against the bottom of my thighs.

I blush, quickly letting go of his fingers with my mouth. Marcus breathes in deeply at this and his erection gets larger causing me to jump a little.

"When you blush dearest, your blood rushes to the surface of your skin making your scent more potent. With you so close to me it is intoxicating, especially since your mouth was on me just moments ago. Do not be embarrassed that you have caused a reaction in me," he states his voice lower as he places the remaining chocolate aside and strokes the outside of my thighs with his hands. I fist my hands in the shoulders of his shirt.

The tone of his voice sends shivers down my spine and I gasp before meeting his gaze. The crimson has faded to bloody-black and the full weight of his stare is focused upon me.

"It is perfectly natural to be affected in response, Isabella. Arousal tends to be contagious between mates, sweet. Shall I show you another instinct? I assure you that you shall enjoy it."

My mind is hazy at his words and I feel almost like sparks are shooting in my core. My lips are parted enough for me to be able to breath heavily through them, though my eyes do not leave his. I nod.

One of Marcus' hands reaches up and cups the back of my neck instantly causing me to want to lean back my head into the cradle of his palm. I don't want to break eye contact however either.

"Give in sweet, I'm right here, it is perfectly fine to close your eyes and relax back," he says soothingly the grumble of arousal still shot through his tone underneath. I take a deep breath and do as he says. My eyes slip shut and I let my head fall back trustingly into his large hands.

Marcus moves slightly tilting my head a little more before he starts to kiss nibble and lastly lick up my throat particularly focusing on my pulse point. I can feel my heart beat in my ears and every so often Marcus finds an especially sensitive area and I gasp or catch my breath as he focuses on it intently.

I am more aroused from him mouthing my neck than I have been by anything else in my life. I am quite wet- to the point I am hoping that he doesn't notice it- and I can only think two thoughts strung together at a time before I am distracted by his lips and tongue and teeth once more. My hands I am mostly unaware of for the most part, except that I know one is trying to touch him and the other is tightly fisted in his shirt. My thighs and legs are clenched down on Marcus' lap and I desperately try not to twitch or move around too much.

"Ma..Marcus," I stutter out once I get frustrated by the lack of skin of his I am able to feel. I feel this desperate yearning for more.

"Yes sweet, what is it?" he asks voice low and rumbly. He tilts my head up so I can see him better and I open my eyes.

"I.. I need to touch- touch me more, please Marcus,"

Marcus seriously studies me for a moment that seems to last forever before nodding curtly. In the next moment he has removed his shirt and is suddenly brilliantly bare-chested in front of me.

I've always known Marcus was muscled. It shows through his clothes and is in the breadth of his shoulders. But there is a difference between intellectually knowing something and actually witnessing it for yourself, and dear god this is one of those things. Every part of his chest and stomach is muscled. And not like in that overdone steroid way that is so often seen now, no his strength had all been honed through physical pursuits. Muscles layered on top of one another and not a hint of fat or loose skin anywhere to be seen. I feel like I may faint.

In comparison Edward was scrawny and sickly. Marcus has no hair on his chest surprisingly and dark flat nipples. There are scars that stand in ropey relief against his pale hard planes though fewer than I have imagined considering how old and volatile the Volturi is. All vampires are strong, immensely so and it is something I take for granted. But Marcus, Marcus was impossibly powerful even as a human I am now realizing. I clench my jaw hoping I haven't been gaping. How is it I feel even smaller next to him now that he is shirtless?

Unable to stop myself the first thing that comes to mind flows right out of my mouth. "Gosh you must have been busy as a human."

Marcus laughs outright at my words, his body vibrating pleasantly against me as he does so. "Oh sweet, the things you say to me when you are unguarded."

His words break my stare down at his chest and I look up to his eyes blushing bright red. He is smirking down at me seemingly highly amused and slightly cocky due to my astonishment. "I shall assume my efforts in my human days were well worth my time then, other than for mere survival?" he questions causing me to get impossibly redder. I close my eyes and nod embarrassed beyond belief.

I suddenly feel lips caressing my jawline. "I am glad you find my body attractive, my mate. You have asked to touch me so feel free," he whispers to me interspaced with kisses to my chin. Hesitantly I lean forward once more bracing myself against his shoulders only this time against marble-like skin.

I don't have too much time to over-think it as Marcus captures my lips with his own, my eyes fall shut and his tongue invades shortly after. It slides in gently but insistently bypassing my lips and stroking mind-numbingly against my own tongue. He kisses me as though I am a precious gift, one that is intoxicating but undeniably valuable, and it makes me feel more wanted and valued than any other time that I can remember.

Between my tiny desperate gasps for air filled with my need not only for oxygen but also for him, I grow a little bolder running my hands over his chest and moving my tongue more. Marcus pulls back to let me breathe and though I automatically do so I also whine moving forward to keep my lips on his still. I can feel him chuckle against me but I mostly ignore it intent on the feelings he is creating within me. His one hand cups my jaw while the other pets my hair once reassuringly before darting under my shirt again to sooth over my stomach. My hips have started rocking against him wantonly but I can't seem to stop their movement even though I know I should. The bulge and hardness of his erection actually gives me something to move against causing the most addicting and frustrating ache.

Suddenly Marcus is urging my arms upwards before pulling away every so slightly to remove my long-sleeved shirt. The flash of cool air on my skin jolts me a bit, unthinkingly causing me to go to cover myself. Marcus however is exponentially quicker and gently encircles my wrists with his hands keeping my arms away from my chest. He meets my stare before intensely and slowly moving his eyes down over my bra clad breasts and bare stomach. He takes a moment to absorb me, my chest heaving up and down as though to commit me to memory before meeting my gaze again. Completely serious and convincingly he simply says a single word to me, "Stunning."

My eyes widen in disbelief, breathing becoming a little more difficult with shock on top of my arousal as he places my hands back upon his shoulders. Without breaking our stare he asks me voice as low and as concentrated as his stare "Are you going to allow me to remove your bra, Isabella?"

Half out of my mind due to stimulation from the feel of his cold skin against my over-heated flesh, to the unfamiliar but addicting sensations going on in my core I nod but move forward to kiss him again. He complies easily, lips quickly meeting mine passionately as one hand threads through my hair to cradle the back of my skull supportively while the other moves up my bare back. I moan as he devours my mouth not noticing his fingers lightly un-clasp my bra and break the straps until my breasts flatten against his chest as he urges me closer against him.

My eyes snap open momentarily and Marcus' meet my gaze despite our mouths being busy together. Time loses meaning and I feel like I'm drowning in him momentarily before the sensations and intimacy becomes took much and I close my eyes and sink back into him once more.

The hand not holding my hair and making feather-light strokes of fingers against my scalp moves between us moving softly against my breasts weighing them in his hand in turn before manipulating them pleasantly for a time. My whines and moans grow worse though I try to subdue them without luck. Eventually I seem to reach a point where the ache I am feeling doesn't ease nor grow and I panic just a little, grasping Marcus' hair desperately. I pull away from his lips with a touch of wildness I can't control.

"Marcus…Marcus help! Please I need something, I don't know, something please-"

Marcus tucks my head with one hand beneath his chin before slipping the other down to cup me over my jeans. The hand that was in my hair runs down my bare back to stop at my pelvis palm flat over my extreme lower back and part of my ass.

"You are alright, sweet. I will take care of you. Just keep moving just like that, good girl-" he rumbles at me his voice both hard and soft simultaneously. The hand at my back holds me in place and guides my movements a little while the other moves against me pressing against my lower lips and core so much better than I was able to achieve alone. My underwear and pants are damp and I briefly wonder if Marcus can feel that as he moves the heel of his palm in such a way that causes me to pant heavily and clutch tighter to him. All of a sudden I seem to reach a precipice and the seemingly unachievable release the ache has been building towards. It catches me off guard and causes me to desperately yell out for Marcus by name.

Things are light and overwhelmingly pleasurable for an indefinite moment before everything dims a little before picking up at a normal pace again. Marcus is whispering to me in gravelly Italian and I spasm against him a little before glancing upwards heavily. He tilts my face to see him better though still allowing me to lean against his upper arm for support.

"Are you well, dearest?"

"Very," I reply softly, the only answer I can seemingly provide at the moment. Marcus nods once in confirmation.

He then stands and plants me back down on the chair with dizzying swiftness discombobulating me so that I barely hear and take in his low words of "I shall be back momentarily."

Marcus then departs in less than the amount of time it takes for me to blink in confusion before I hear a growl followed by a roar from behind me. Moving so that I can lean around the side of the chair, the velvet of it brushing against my bare skin and nipples causes me to gasp due to over sensation a making me have only a small moment of distraction before looking in the direction of Marcus' shout.

I wait for a second to see if anything else happens before tentatively calling out, "Marcus?"

I pause again growing a little more anxious with each passing second before finally half a minute later my vampire returns to the room once more. His hair is thoroughly ruffled and he is still shirtless. His pants are unbuttoned causing me to swallow and take a fairly accurate guess as to the reason for his sudden disappearance, though the fly is mostly zipped. His eyes have lightened a little though he eyes me much like prey still as he crosses the room exuding restrained power. I swallow and blush embarrassed though he ignores my reaction lifting me up out of the chair and upon my back on the nearby couch before leaning over me much like he did in Florence. Protectively surrounding me from the room and my encroaching vulnerable feelings and causing me to relax some.

MPOV

My Bella is stunning in her afterglow. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips swollen from my kisses, her eyes half-closed from the rush of her orgasm. I can feel her nipples brush against my chest as I lean over her on the couch and I have to force my focus onto her needs and not that sensation, nor the potent smell of her arousal now perfuming the room. I have had my satisfaction; the scent and taste of her creams on my palm along with the cotton layer they soaked through bursting on my tongue in the lavatory rapidly pushed me into my own release with the help of my hand.

"How are you feeling, sweet?" I question her lowly, insistently moving her chin so she must meet my eyes. Though I did not intend to go so far with her today, I will not allow her to second guess herself nor our actions.

She swallows thickly, closing her eyes against me. "Embarrassed, a little overwhelmed," she whispers so quietly a human would not have been able to pick her words out.

I lower myself over her more and wrap one arm beneath her and around her waist and hips. "You are my mate Isabella, there is no reason to feel embarrassment," I tell her sternly, wanting to dislodge that reaction out of her as promptly as possible. I do not want her cultural stigmas and misunderstandings tainting any acts between us.

"Achieving pleasure at my hands is natural and expected. Your body was designed to receive stimulation and to be pleased and there is nothing shameful about you doing such with me, your mate." I then continue in a touch softer tone, "Sexual gratification is a basic need, sweet, and I was extremely serious when I informed you that as your mate I am responsible for all of your needs. You will never again lack anything my love."

Bella swallows and nods, meeting my eyes again. "'Kay," she whispers once more and I can see the trust in her face and the struggle to believe my words.

"You are exceedingly beautiful, my little one," I softly inform her kissing her slightly damp brow.

"I.. I'm not too fit," she says glancing to the side. I tap her chin to bring her gaze back to me.

"You are soft and curved as a woman should be. Still a little thin sweet, but better than when you arrived. We are fixing that, do not worry about anything else. My largest concern is that you are healthy, Isabella, that you are truly lovely is merely a generous bonus."

Bella blushes again ducking her head and peering up at me through her lashes an embarrassed but pleased look upon her face. I press a kiss to the crown of her head and smooth my hand along the abundance of sweet soft skin before me.

"Shall I order you breakfast, dearest?" I ask after a few moments of quiet as my mate idly traces nonsensical patterns on my skin with the barest tips of her fingers. Her eyes turn from the fireplace to meet mine.

"Yes, umm something light please? Yogurt and fruit maybe?" she replies.

I nod leaning back a bit to enjoy the sight of her laid out beneath me, the warm glow of the fire reflecting off her body slightly and accentuating her curves.

"Do you wish me to help you clean yourself?" I question her, though I am fairly confident she will reject my offer I feel I must provide her the option anyways. It has been centuries since I have been with a human, and as delicate as my mate is I am unsure if she will require aid or not.

Bella blushes and shakes her head negatively, moving to sit up. I reluctantly remove myself from over her and gently grab her elbow to help her endeavor.

"Can you get my shirt please?" Bella requests, shivering once in the cool air and covering her chest with her arms. It takes me less than a moment to retrieve her garment and return before turning the article of clothing the right way out and handing it to her. She quickly pulls it on and I cannot help myself as I pull the fabric down over her chest and stomach even though I know she can dress herself without issue.

"Thanks," she mumbles barely meeting my eyes. She stands and wobbles a bit and I hurriedly grasp her elbow once again as well as slipping a firm hand onto her waist.

Worried I go to speak but she gets there first. "I'm fine, I just got up too fast."

"Are you positive?" I question her sternly, but she looks up at me all rumpled and sated her eyes large and innocently certain and I recognize she is going to insist on being alone for a short time.

"Yes, I'm okay Marcus. I'm going to take a quick shower and get dressed… again and I'll be out soon," she answers nodding to affirm her statement.

"Very well. Call for me if you need assistance," I say. She blushes slightly though nods and skitters off looking coyly over her shoulder once as she goes. I wait until I hear the water of the shower turn on before I pick up our remaining clothing and follow her example of changing my clothes.

**AN: Soooooo that literally came out of nowhere. Seriously they were not supposed to go that far yet but Marcus was being all glower-y and possessive and *****poof* this happened. This is your Christmas/whatever holiday you celebrate/end of year/winter gift. I wasn't going to post it until you know other plot advancement happened along with what I had planned to have happen in the chapter, but oh well. **

**As for the Cullens they are coming. You see they were supposed to have come by now but Aro popped up and demanded more family time and he's kind of difficult to say no too. So they got temporarily pushed to the wayside. I swear they are coming. I'm trying to realistically figure out how to make Marcus' reaction to them believable as well as tempered enough they don't all die too quickly to make there use null and void plot-wise and keep them alive long enough for them to be adequately tortured for hurting the mate of an angry ancient warlord Roman. Remember the Romans invented crucifixion and the gladiator games. **

**Also for anyone interested that was my first lemon scene. I hope it came out tasteful yet still delightfully invigorating. And that it satisfied the people tired of waiting for lemons. Marcus and Bella are moving slowly because they don't want to screw such an important thing as their relationship up, especially with all the variables them being together presents. **

**Hugs and Kisses to all my reviewers. You guys are beyond what I could have prayed for when I started this fanfiction. Without you I would not be here at the end of chapter 18! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**BPOV**

When I finally return to the front room, (blush re-announcing itself every few minutes due to my thoughts) I am freshly showered, wearing a completely new outfit courtesy of Athenodora and surprisingly peaceful. If this is what afterglow feels like, I must say I now understand the attraction.

Marcus is on the couch by the fireplace once more (cue reawakening blush) and the low table holds exactly what I had asked for; a bowl of yogurt and fresh sweet fruit. Quickly sitting down beside him, and suddenly starving, Marcus hands me the bowl with spoon and I dig in. A moment later Marcus' arm drapes behind my shoulders and he brushes a kiss to my forehead. I blush and peek up at him as I eat and he merely smiles, his red eyes bright and his face holding a touch of self-satisfied and mischievous amusement.

It is not until I am taking the last bites of my meal that I notice the scabbard and sword leaning against the nearby wall. The thing is huge, and from my guess quite authentic as the leather scabbard is highly scratched and scarred and the hilt though polished shows wear too. It seems to be made of some sort of strange metal I've never seen before as it is white in colouration, from the little I can see of it. With my admittedly limited knowledge of weaponry it looks a bit like a broadsword. What confuses me though is why a vampire would have one.

I glance up at Marcus and he is watching me patiently, unfazed as he normally is, despite earlier activities. With still reddened cheeks I brutally push my thoughts aside and ask my question to break the invisible tension I'm feeling.

"Why do you have a sword Marcus? Blades don't work against vampires do they?"

His lips quirk a bit at the sides as I deposit my bowl onto the small table in front of us before pulling my feet up onto the couch with me. Crunched up into a ball, Marcus promptly pulls me over to sit sideways on his lap. Getting more used to this abrupt action I only gasp a little.

"Normal weaponry does not have any effect on vampires, no Bella, but my sword is made of a rare and completely different material. The fact that the Volturi has such weapons that can harm vampires is a secret we do not inform others of," he tells me, his face still quite content.

I blink confused thinking about what it could possibly be made from. "I don't understand, if it isn't made from metal what is it made of?" I ask.

Marcus looks at me for a moment considering. "You will not wish to know, dearest."

I blink again, my forehead furrowing. "But you've got me interested now, my brain isn't going to just stop thinking about it," I partially mumble looking at the object in question.

Marcus smirks a little shaking his head and looking at me in such a way that I interpret as fondly.

"I shall give you a hint then, as you insist. Usually the only thing that causes damage to a vampire is another vampire."

It takes me a second before my mind whirls and finally makes the now obvious connection. "You mean-" I gasp out wide-eyed.

Marcus nods in confirmation, amusement on his features "Bone specifically," he adds.

I scrunch my nose not at all wanting to think about the actual process involved there. "Oh God, I'm sorry but ewww."

Marcus laughs aloud before pecking me on the nose. "You are best not to think of it, sweet. It is a tool like any other. I will be carrying it with us for the foreseeable future so attempt to ignore its presence."

I shiver once in disgust then nod and turn away from the sword. Like the fact that Marcus feeds on human blood, I ruthlessly push this into the category of things I do not want to contemplate too heavily.

I sigh before changing the subject. "I don't really understand what is going on, with the heightened security and stuff. Or why you were so angry yesterday," I murmur quietly not wanting to broach a topic that will cause him distress but genuinely feeling I should have some grasp of what is going on around me.

Marcus sighs tiredly, leaning back into the couch more. "The Romanians are a coven of vampires that have plagued us for a very extensive period of time, my Bella. They led to the death of Didyme and have caused untold grief, horror and chaos. At one point they were the strongest coven of vampires on this earth, but due to the way in which they ruled- their policies and actions both, we eventually were forced to become involved.

"When Didyme died it was during a confrontation of the Romanians and their mad werewolves as well as an uprising of part of the guard. We have attempted to destroy them completely ever since but the two left of the original coven are devious and cunning. We must attempt to stay many steps ahead of their plans if we wish to survive and maintain the Volturi's reign. My anger is due to their inconvenient timing with your vulnerability as a human, especially as we have only known one another for such a short time. Not to mention the issues with the Cullens currently. We must simply be on alert."

"Oh," I say not too thrilled to hear about yet more angry violent vampires. Marcus then touches my forehead running one finger soothingly over were I had it wrinkled from worry.

"We will likely be busy in the upcoming months, but there is no need for you to fret, Isabella. We have handled attacks by other covens in the past and with advanced warning we will be sufficiently prepared." He then presses his lips against my still damp hair. "I will keep you safe, sweet."

Truthfully it's not really myself that I'm worried about, but I try to reassure myself that Marcus is more than sufficiently able to protect himself as is proven alone in the fact that he has lived relatively unscathed all these centuries.

"I know," I murmur back, my eyes drifting half-shut as I lean into him. A couple moments later I am jolted to awareness by the faint knocking on a door a room or so off and Marcus' answering terrifying roar. Instinctively I flinched away from the sound and whimpered quietly. I didn't move far however before Marcus' arms stopped me, pulling me slightly closer to his chest.

Wide-eyed, I look up to see Marcus glaring towards the source of where the sound came from, mouth open and fangs more prominent than normal. After a moment I realized my own mouth was gaping open much like a fish and forced it closed.

"Marcus?" I whispered quietly, tense in my body upon his lap much like he was.

He doesn't answer right away but after a moment of silence he seemed to visibly pull himself back. He opened his mouth to speak before sharply returning his focus forward once more. I could hear a muffled voice yelling through the walls separating us that sounded like Athenodora.

When the voice finished Marcus planted a kiss on my forehead before dipping his head to beneath my chin where he breathed me in.

"Was that Dora?" I ask, my voice sounded a little childish to myself.

Marcus finally moves back to meet my eyes again. "Yes, she was telling me to ignore the guard and that she was taking care of it," he responds. I nod in reply.

He takes an unneeded breath, then proceeds to relax again. "I apologize for frightening you, sweet. You are not the only one affected by instincts so heavily at the moment. Now that I have given in to an extent it is hard to scale back certain responses."

I nod again. He grips my chin and tilts my head so I'm looking at him. "I will never hurt you Isabella. Even during bloodlust or battle rage, you are never in danger from me."

I pause for a moment nibbling my lower lip in thought. "Even if I cut myself?" I ask thinking about my eighteenth birthday party once again.

"Never Isabella. You smell sweet, your blood calls to me, but not in such a way that inspires me to consume you entirely. According to Caius Athenodora smelt similarly during their brief acquaintance while she was human. Appetizing, yes, satisfying and alluring, completely; but never something that inspires madness. A smell to savour and taste or sip at but not particularly edible. From what I remember of my human life it is something akin to the smell of the ocean. Lovely and soothing but not a concrete thing one would typically indulge in. I do covet you blood but only insomuch that I will briefly consume some before your turn."

I lean against him, relieved at his words. "That is immensely reassuring," I reply quietly. "When I was with… them well I was constantly worried about slipping or bumping into something, or well anything much."

"I am very old, and my control is such that I rarely need to even contemplate it any more, dearest. The same applies for the rest of the family. As for the guard they too have generally strict control of their appetites as well. Part of this I do believe is that we indulge often and in human blood. By taking our natural food source I am inclined to believe that we do not stress our impulses to the point of breaking without necessary cause and thus have better control. The same may not hold true for Carlisle, but other than him I do believe the remaining animal drinkers are always in a battle with their true nature otherwise. The point however, my Bella is that you need not worry here."

I nod against his shoulder again. "I'm sorry I worry so much, I know it must be tedious at times. But thank-you, for being so patient. I love you," I say, emotion thick in my words.

Marcus tilts my head up and kisses me upon my lips gently and thoroughly. When he finishes he calmly (how can he be so calm after kissing like that?) counters "I would much rather you ask your question than wonder and fret. And I love you as well sweet. Now before I forget, how is your wrist today?"

"A little achy, why?" I ask automatically moving to rub it. Marcus moves one of his hands to grab the back of my wrist, presenting the inside upwards to his view.

"I briefly spoke with Aro and Sulpicia last night and they may have suggested a plausible solution. If it does not succeed there are other options but I would like to attempt it if you will allow me?" he questions before looking at me once more and raising an eyebrow a touch in inquiry.

Tensing my shoulders I nod closing bracing myself as he lifts my wrist to his mouth. To say I am shocked when he sensually licks his tongue along and over the scar on my skin would be a vast understatement. He should look ridiculous doing so, but as he goes and repeats the action meeting and holding my gaze intensely I feel myself shiver in response. A moment later I make a breathy little gasp when the bite starts to tingle.

"Do you perceive any sensations in particular?" he questions after a moment.

"Well it tingles, and it certainly doesn't ache anymore," I describe my tone breathy still and a tad saucy.

Marcus grins showing his white teeth, greatly amused at my tone. "As long as it doesn't ache to any further extent. If it resumes inform me. Now, we should likely meet with the rest of our coven before much longer, I am sure they are waiting."

I drop my knees so my feet are towards the floor (if not quite touching due to being on Marcus' lap) and nod in reply.

"I would ask that you not leave my sight while we are not in our quarters for the next little while. Either until the majority of the threats have past or at least until the mating instincts have settled some as it will be uncomfortable for both of us. If at any point you feel the need to come to me do so. They have all experienced the draw to be in ones mate's company themselves so they will understand intimately. If something occurs, though I doubt it will, you are to come to me."

I nod in understanding and though the loner part of my personality knows it should baulk at these restrictions mostly I merely feel pleased that Marcus wishes to constantly have me near him and safe from his attentions. I would dread to hear what a feminist would say about my response.

"Very well," Marcus says calmly helping me up with a solid hand on my lower back. "Let's proceed."

MPOV

Bella tenses ever so slightly once we leave our rooms, cringing into my side. Instead of debating I simply sweep her up into my arms, and continue forward. Her arms dart around my neck in response and I can feel her relax into me a touch.

Now that I have begun to give into Isabella's allure the rest of my impulses and desires are rushing forward as well. I do not wish to frighten my shy little mate with the intensity I feel for her. Like a dam with a leak I plan to let my desires trickle out slowly instead of flooding her with caged emotion. If I could dream it would be of her porcelain skin, her laughter and how she pinks with embarrassment. I imagine her sprawled on my bed her hair in disarray her body sticky and her face much like it was mere minutes ago; nude and beyond compare. The way she pleaded my name will forever arouse me I am certain.

I arrive at Aro's main doorway, bypassing Alec (who gives me a wide berth) as he stands guard outside his master's rooms; not realizing that I've been stroking the outside of Bella's thigh during my moments of contemplation. I firmly stop my action as I know it cannot go further at the moment and instead redirect my hand to gently touch Bella's head hoping to attract her attention.

"Are you alright, dearest?"

She nods against me, hair bobbing a little within my range of vision of her. "Yeah, just… tense. I feel kinda exposed."

I place a kiss into her hair in reply and knock on the door before waiting for recognition. "Normally I would not insist upon leaving our rooms while we are both in the states in which we are, however my brothers and I must meet and discuss this Romanian threat and so you must join me. You should feel slightly more at ease once we enter, sweet."

It is actually Aro that calls for us to enter, indicating that there are no guards within the chambers with the rest of my familial coven. I open the large wooden doors and bring myself and my mate through rather quickly, firmly shutting the portal behind me. I head towards the one living area where I can hear both my brothers and their wives.

Entering the room I can see Sulpicia or my brother (though most likely Sulpicia) has set out some things to make Bella more comfortable. Someone has also started a fire in their rather magnificent stone fireplace raising the temperature of the inner rooms to something more suitable for my tiny mate.

"Good, we are all here then. So sorry to interrupt your time with one another brother dear, but needs must and such," greets Aro with his usual flippant tone. I merely nod in reply. Ever so carefully I set Isabella down, making sure she has her feet steadily beneath her, before moving back slightly. For a moment her hands clench in my shirt, letting me know she's feeling the pull to be as close to me as possible in the presence of other vampires.

Framing her face with my large hands I kiss her lips gently. "None of our coven is a danger to you. I will remain mere steps away. If the instincts become too much you are forever welcome to come sit with me, alright dearest?"

Bella nods squeezing my hands for a moment and I force myself to sit with Aro and Caius. A second later Athenodora lightly clasps Bella's hand and pulls her towards a couch before the fireplace directly within my line of view.

"Who had the gull to bother us outside my door not long ago?" I ask generally as Bella sits down, seemingly enjoying the heat from the flames.

"Oh!" Athenodora replies, jumping up and dashing from her seat. Caius stiffens and straightens, immediately stating "Slower Beloved. Move slower for now, please."

I relax the muscles that had tightened without my conscious thought of which Caius obviously picked up upon. Intellectually I know Athenodora is no threat, and instinctually I know this as well, but an accident or the increase in her speed possibly relating to a threat of which I am not yet aware of, etcetera are things which make my instincts flare.

"Sorry, Marcus!" Athenodora says sheepishly coming to a dead stop on hearing her husband's words. "It's just your surprise for Bella has finally arrived and I'm excited. I apologize for not thinking."

I nod, looking at her through bond-sight reinforcing my knowledge of all the vampires in this room's loyalty to each other. "It is alright Athenodora, it has been a very long time for all of us since we last had such prevalent instincts so close to the surface within our coven. Just attempt to be more aware of it, please."

She nods again before skipping more sedately over to the sideboard where a mailing box lays. Happily she returns to Bella and places the parcel in her lap.

"Marcus was looking for something to give to you as a gift to help when we are busy with things and so we worked together and found this for you. It should already be customized and have some things uploaded onto it for you," she calmly explains.

"Oh," Bella replies softly, "You didn't have to get me anything." She then turns and looks at me from her spot on the couch.

"It's something to entertain yourself with, sweet. We may be moving around more often in the coming weeks so it is something portable that you can use when we are away from Volterra." I reply calmly, ignoring my brothers to watch my mate open her gift instead.

The plain wrapping rustles and eventually Bella manages to get into the package.

"An ipad? Marcus, you shouldn't have," Bella states soft and almost scolding but opening the box upon Sulpicia and Athenodora's urgings.

I hold back a smile, as Athenodora points out the velvet royal purple magnetic cover for the gadget and peels plastic away from the screen.

"It doesn't smell like a real book, and you cannot turn actual pages however I am told it holds enough memory for you to have a sufficient amount of reading material when we travel."

Bella hands the ipad off to Athenodora who is quickly setting it up, and bounces over to me, kissing me gently on the cheek. "Thank-you for thinking of me, Marcus."

I brush my thumb along her chin, "Always, my Bella. Now go, enjoy."

She smiles brightly at me and returns to Athenodora much less skittery than before and more easily sucked into Sulpicia and Athenodora's discussion on what the machine can do.

I turn finally to my brothers at last willing to speak to them. Aro of course however feels he must get his opinion in first and cuts me off in Latin.

"A machine is rather impersonal, Marcus. Why not something shiny instead hmm?" he questions leaning forward in his armchair.

I narrow my eyes at him aware he is just taunting me because he can.

"Isabella as I am sure you have noticed prefers a simpler less ostentatious style of dress. She greatly enjoys literature and having access to the internet, your wife assures me, will make her feel less cut off from the world. I do not wish her to be bored if we three must converse nor do I want her to feel trapped. This adequately helps diminish both," I reply calmly. Once Aro receives his information he will be able to focus on the real task at hand.

"You have purchased jewels for her though have you not, brother?" Caius questions, his chin resting on his fist as he sits casually in his armchair.

"Some, yes. There are a couple pieces I would like created of course, and one or two I wish to track down and purchase but I do have a few on hand. Why, Caius?"

Caius waves his hand. "No real reason, I am merely wondering if anyone has yet informed your mate about the formal aspects and gatherings we hold from time to time. We may also have to visit allies in the upcoming weeks with this Romanian shadow looming over us, and so she will need appropriate wear for that as well."

I nod, knowing Caius seems flippant but is actually trying to be helpful so that Isabella will not be seen as a mere dalliance or amusement to outside covens.

"I have a Tahitian Pearl set coming in this week I believe, that should suffice for meeting allies in the short term. Athenodora has her wardrobe under control, I am sure she will fill it out as needed," I reply. From the corner of my eye I see Athenodora's head pop up and nod at me before returning to her conversation.

"Very well Marcus, if you are sure you have everything under control," Aro says lightly. He is subtly implying that he is available if I need aid as well as reminding me that Isabella's first impression to outsiders must maintain the dignity of the Volturi as well as our protection of her within our coven. As old as we are if my mate were to be seen without all that I could provide for her then vampires will begin to wonder if we really are as closely knit and powerful as we seem. Every vampire worth their venom knows we are rich beyond compare, and as such are more than able to hold our mates and our guards in high esteem. Essentially we must prove it to reinforce the image of power. This is of course completely leaving out the fact that I fully intend to spoil my little mate as often as possible.

Little clicking noises come from where the women are congregated and I absently overhear Athenodora exclaim "Look it even takes pictures!" before I turn back to my brothers and discuss what our plan of attack is concerning the threats against us. After all, the best defense is an aggressive offense, taking your enemy completely off guard.

BPOV

Though I feel the need to glance at Marcus every few minutes I feel calmer than when we first entered. This is likely partially due to the fact both Aro and Caius have not moved from their positions other than to stand when I entered with Marcus. I've noticed they always seem to do that now, stand when Sulpicia, Athenodora or I enter a room or get up. To me it seems both impractical and sweet at the same time. It also serves as a subtle reminder that these beings I've surrounded myself with are from an era I can only dream about and try to understand but never fully grasp.

I giggle as Athenodora makes a funny face when Sulpicia presses the screen of my ipad lightly takes her photograph. Athenodora and Sulpicia together have got to be the most amazing mixture of modern and old possible.

"Come let's go to the balcony and you can see the view of the town square. You can test out how well this thing works on landscape photographs," Athenodora suggests. I glance at the doors and then to Marcus noting that I still would be within eyesight of him almost unconsciously. He catches my eyes and tips his chin in such a way that is encouraging and protective though not controlling in anyway. Without words he somehow is able to reassure me that he is nearby and thus I can enjoy myself without worry, rather than how some may take his actions as granting permission.

I nod in reply to Athenodora's words. From seemingly nowhere Sulpicia takes a throw blanket and wraps it around my shoulders. I am grateful for it a second later as the spring air from the balcony is quite frigid.

The day is overcast though not in such a way of threatening rain. Beside me both women look merely very pale in the ambient light, beautiful but not unearthly. The view itself though certainly comes close. The entire centre of Volterra stretches out before my feet only separated from me by air and decorative wrought iron railing. People move along from the various little stores and cafes surrounding the square and gazing at the fountain oblivious to our presence. In the distance over the rooftops are rolling green hills. The sight is idealistic in a way, for Volterra has many old architectural elements and charming features of rich European towns and is very well maintained.

Directly beneath us is still part of the Volturi grounds as a section of the castle roof juts out from the walls beneath my feet before dropping again. If I crane my neck to the side I can see a similar tower of the castle that holds two people that are constantly scanning around, whom I assume are guards on watch duty. It takes me a moment to realize that though we are up quite high, a vampire could still climb the walls and access the balconies if determined enough. Asking Sulpicia she confirms that guards are in constant shifts watching the surroundings of the building just in case. Athenodora though quickly shifts my mind from such serious matters with her chatter.

Taking my gift the three of us play around with the camera feature, taking shots of various people going about their business along with some ones I'll have to return and delete later due to blurriness or me sticking my finger in the shot etc. I am about to have to return inside by the fireplace due to the cold however when a car pulls into the square and parks over by the main entrance. Some guards leave their post by the ground level and go to the door of the vehicle. When the door opens I breathe in deeply in shock.

"Am I seeing who I think I am?" I ask my voice barely a whisper, no emotion creeping into my voice. A moment later four more vampires leave the fancy car.

"Yes," Sulpicia states, hurriedly pulling me physically back from the balcony railing and into the rooms again.

After a moment my mind accepts what it has witnessed and I turn and dash towards Marcus, who has stood at our words and sudden shift. He meets me no more than two steps towards him and lifts me securely against his chest before moving deeper into the rooms. Behind us the balcony doors are slammed shut.

"Who has arrived?" Caius demands and I realize that it was Aro who darted forward to see outside before closing the exit.

In shock I whisper "Carlise Cullen."

**AN: Soooooo, I don't know how to apologize enough for disappearing on you all. I've been here but, uh not. The muse you see taunted me and then disappeared. Like poof gone. Don't have a clue what happened but I'm hoping to get her back. There has been a reward posted at the main intersections of my brain but only a few bites so far.**

**And the Cullens have popped up finally. And they bring with them so many lovely issues right at the worst of times. Oh joy. :P**

**In other news, I've started a facebook page for anyone interested in talking to me there (asking questions, etc.). **

**Normal facebook page start with the UntilDawnFanfiction **

**I apologize for the lack of responses I gave to some of you for your lovely heartfelt reviews last time. I don't really know why I've been so unmotivated, but I promise I haven't given up on this story. **

**My love to all of you. I hope you are all doing well.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**BPOV**

"There was more than one, who all has arrived, Sulpicia?" Aro demands, his voice lacking all playfulness or the mania that it usually possesses.

"Carlisle and his mate of course, Esme. His children Rosalie and Emmet, and Tanya Denali from the Alaskan coven," Sulpicia promptly provides, watching me. I am shaking a bit at her words but having Marcus hold me so tightly makes me seem less close to the edge than I would have been even a week ago.

"I… I don't want to see them yet. Marcus, please," I gasp clutching his shirt and chewing my bottom lip, my voice mostly quiet. He quickly rearranges his arms slightly beneath me so he can thread the fingers of one hand into my hair and tilt my face towards his own.

"You do not have to see them at all if you do not wish, Isabella. Aro can read their minds and then we can kill them all and the problem will be solved if you wish it," he states completely serious and leaving me at a total loss.

I breathe a little faster, shaking my head a bit. "I don't know, I don't know what to think right now. I just know I don't want them to see me right this moment." Marcus nods and presses his forehead to mine.

"You do not have to decide anything if you do not wish it. Just let go and allow us to handle this," he instructs me, and I don't double think it, I just nod and tuck myself beneath his chin as close to him as I can get.

"Very well, we shall attempt to get some answers," Aro states turning towards the doors where one of the guards has knocked to inform us of their arrival.

"Like why they would be so idiotic as to come here knowing that they have broken the laws," Caius grumbles loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Jewel-tones, formal, full jewelry, yes?" Athenodora asks rapidly as Aro re-enters the room with Alec and Caius nods at her. "Grab my over-robe too, Beloved," Caius states.

Marcus has backed us up into the corner of the room and I soon see why as once Athenodora gives a sharp nod she zips out of the rooms at top speed, and is soon followed by Sulpicia as she runs past us and retreats into some of the more private rooms. Aro follows her and returns fairly soon after in full velvet-cloaked regalia, adorned with some gold chains and gems.

Caius part way through the hustle has started instructing Alec in English, which I am assuming is for my benefit. I'm starting to slowly notice that with Caius it is not in his words but in some of his more subtle actions that he shows his care for us as a coven. My thought of us as a permanent group nearly takes me aback insomuch that I almost miss Caius' words.

"Hunt down, Afton. Have him report here for guard duty outside of your lord Marcus and Isabella's suite. Get the rest of the off-duty guards and personal guards excluding your sister and Heidi and have them convene in the throne room immediately. All should be in uniform as per normal guidelines. Everyone on watch is to be at full alert. Send someone out and collect a human group, the animal eaters are to be as off-balance as possible. Wait until one of us informs you when to bring them in, it needs to be at the correct moment which I will not be able to calculate until I receive more information. Have rooms prepared both in the further back and more monitored guest wing as well as the dungeons for all of them."

It seems as though he is about to continue his instructions when Sulpicia yells out from within. "Aro! Where did you move my Catherine the Great cherry amber necklace? It's gone again!" She then breaks off into muttered Italian and Aro retreats again while Marcus mischievously translates her words in my ear.

"I really do not understand why you insist on re-organizing things randomly. How am I supposed to get ready with any great amount of speed when the items I require are never in their spots? Or I've simply lost the damn thing myself- whoever decided to propagate the idea vampires have a perfect memory was idiotic. Sure we remember most things but can I ever find anything when I need it? No, of course not. Aro, why are you leering at me, make yourself bloody useful please!"

I try to stifle a giggle with my hands and realize that being with Marcus is a little like having Xanax. He distracts me from the world around me and makes me comfortable and safe- things the drug doesn't provide me with. That or the reality of the situation around me hasn't hit yet.

Caius rolls his eyes obviously and I bite my bottom lip to stifle another giggle. Caius glances my way and the corner of his lips twitch at me before he returns to his conversation with Alec. Marcus adjusts a nearby chair into a niche portion of the wall and sits, arranging me securely in his lap before wrapping his arms around me. The sword from earlier rests in its scabbard leaning against the chair on Marcus' right side, while I am situated more on his left.

"Try to relax, dearest," Marcus murmurs to me and it takes me a moment before I realize I'm shaking ever-so-slightly and my hands are fisted to white knuckles in his shirt. Marcus gently loosens one of my hands and threads his fingers through mine, soothingly running his thumb over the back of it.

"Do you need your medication?" he questions, no patronizing tone in voice, merely concern.

I try to think over my body's responses and reactions before I answer, shaking my head no. "I don't- I think it's only kinda hitting me in waves that they're here. It doesn't seem real one moment then is overwhelmingly realistic the next. I'm not sure the Xanax will help… Just don't leave though, kay?" I ask neediness creeping into my voice by the end of my statement as I look up at him.

"I am not leaving your side, Isabella. Based on what you are describing, I believe you are, in all probability, in a small state of shock. Thank-you Caius," he states and I jump when Marcus wraps one of the throw blankets around me. Caius moves further away from where he was as he handed Marcus the blanket he fetched. Caius then softly and rapidly begins speaking with Alec once more.

"As much as you can, I want you to focus on me," Marcus says calmly and I turn back to facing him as he frames my face with his hands, blocking my view of anything peripheral.

"'Kay," I mutter slightly ashamed at my responses.

"You are aware that I know that it was the Cullens that treated you so wretchedly, yes? I was fairly sure you had picked up on the fact we all knew before now, but I wish to be sure."

I nod. "I was fairly sure you'd guessed. And I had mentioned Ed-Edward. And I mean I am assuming vampires talk to one another so it wouldn't take too much work to figure out who was from the area I lived in."

"You are correct, it was merely a process of elimination based on the facts you provided us with over time."

I swallow thickly. "It's not that I wanted to necessarily hide who they were from you all. It's just that every time I say their name things start getting worse for me. I swear it's like the name is cursed," I say trying to keep the hint of hysteria I'm feeling out of my voice.

"Breathe my sweet-hearted one. Calm. I believe you. The rest of our coven is going to interrogate Carlisle and his companions. Then we will take the information and comprise a plan in which you may decide whether you will or will not speak to them. Either way they will not be allowed near you without your permission, and you most certainly will never be left alone with anyone. If Carlisle has any intelligence left within him, he will realize quite quickly that we will not be tolerating any excuses or nonsense from him."

"How?" I ask focusing on Marcus' voice and demeanor, as I consciously slow my breathing a bit.

"Carlisle spent approximately twenty years with us. During that time he witnessed many of the trials we conducted and will know as soon as he enters what the tone of our re-acquaintance will be. This tone is why Athenodora asked about the formality of dress. Generally the more guards present and the more formal our bearing the more serious our displeasure or the issues presented. Athenodora and Sulpicia wearing formal jewel-tones denote a high-guard situation, grave displeasure, or a very significant issue. The only higher setting is solid black with full guard- for war councils, imminent high-order punishment, and death sentences."

"So he'll know you're upset with him?" I ask for clarification.

Marcus' chest vibrates a touch as he releases a low growl. "Upset does not even begin to cover my emotions pertaining to this situation, Isabella. But essentially, yes, he will know that we are displeased and he is at the root of the matter."

Marcus goes to speak again but is interrupted by Athenodora's return. She's breathtaking in a deep eggplant purple ballgown, making her features standout even more due to the contrast with the dark fabric. The dress is a strapless a-line and has small black embroidery on the bodice. The skirts are rouched and stitched giving a tasteful ripple effect to the gown. She left her hair down in soft blonde waves over her bare shoulders and had taken the time to line her eyes in black. Around her neck is a stunning diamond and purple-stone necklace. If I had to guess I'd say the gems were amethysts, but for some reason I doubt it seeing as amethyst is fairly common. As Athenodora moves I catch the sight of sparkles beneath her hair and focus to see matching earrings. All in all she looks otherworldly. Especially when you take in her insanely high and dangerous looking footwear.

Athenodora sweeps forward and passes Caius his thick velvet over-robe. "Any issues, Beloved?" he questions, breaking off mid-word with Alec to see to his wife. With a jerk of Caius' head Alec bows and retreats out the door from where Athenodora entered.

"No, Corin helped me with the dress. I brought one of your rings as well. I figured because we're short on time- but it will have to do. The guards are showing them in now-" Athenodora rambles out, her hands straightening out the cufflinks on Caius' shirt.

"Peace, Beloved. You are working yourself into a frenzy," Caius says calmly grasping one of Athenodora's fluttering hands.

"I know, I know, I just don't like this. I don't like it at all," she states. "And you know how awful I am at waiting and working with limited information. And the timing-"

I watch as Caius pulls Athenodora into his arms, kissing her gently. As he moves back he says "Our answers will be forthcoming. We are on our guard. I will be beside you. Everything else is accounted for, you merely must present yourself as the Queen you are. You have done this hundreds of times. Later this night we should have some answers for our youngest. Do not fret."

Athenodora pauses and nods thinking it over before her composure is settled once more. She kisses Caius once more before turning to Marcus and I. "How are you holding up Bella, Darling?" she asks.

I shrug. "The feeling that this is real and happening comes and goes. You look really lovely." I not so subtly change the subject.

Athenodora approaches slowly her wrist held out in front of her. Marcus moves minutely and captures the offered limb with one hand before he breathes in her scent followed by the barest press of his lips to the inside of her wrist. He then nods to her and lets her go. I'm a little confused by the exchange as it was not unkind and there was no hint of the sexual attraction that always tints my interactions with Marcus between the two of them.

"Thanks, honey," she says coming and leaning up against the chair both Marcus and I are occupying. Athenodora then lifts her hand and places it on my forehead.

"Are you getting ill, Bella? Your temperature seems fine but you have yet to gain back all of your colour. Do you need something to eat or drink?" Marcus shifts me a little so that he can observe my face better and Athenodora's hand drops away.

"No, no I'm okay for now. And I can wait for a drink or something later. I don't really want to move at the moment."

"Are you thirsty?" Marcus questions me meeting my eyes with all of his intensity and concern.

"A little, but it's not pressing-" I reply but my objection is cut off by Aro re-emerging from the back rooms.

"I will instruct one of the guards to fetch you something, Isabella. Preferably a beverage with sugar in it I think, that should help with the shock." Aro doesn't bother waiting for a response as he glides through the room and exits into the hall.

"Everything will be alright, Bella. We'll keep you up to date on everything that happens, okay? Try to relax with Marcus this afternoon, maybe go back to the library for a bit." Athenodora says with such care in her tone that I find I can ignore the way she's babying me. I simply nod and lean back onto Marcus' shoulder again.

A few moments later Sulpicia finally makes her appearance. Her long dark hair has been swept into a complicated bun at the back of her head. She's wearing a tulle blood red dress with a sweet-heart neckline that goes well with her colouring. The bodice of the dress hugs her lush figure attractively with little silver trim sections zigzagging around her waist. She has reddened her lips with something while she was gone and it brings even more emphasis to the array of jewelry she is wearing.

A silver gothic-style necklace hangs from around her neck, the stones a deep rich crimson hue, framing her throat. I am guessing it's the one she and Aro were arguing about earlier. She wears simple silver drop earrings with the same stones on the ends. There is a bracelet that matches on her right wrist completing the set with the red stones in the shape of hearts. Maybe a subtle way of continuing the theme from her other anatomic heart bracelet? Either way she's as awe-inspiring as Athenodora to look at.

"Alright, I'm finished. Bella, dear, try not to be concerned. We'll have this sorted out soon," Sulpicia announces once she has stepped into the room. Just like with Athenodora, Sulpicia holds out her wrist to Marcus and the same routine as before occurs. Once he nods she steps closer and pecks me on the cheek.

"Let Marcus keep you occupied, hmm? Maybe get him to tell you about some of our allied covens," she suggests before patting me lightly on the arm.

In true Aro fashion, the man himself sweeps into the room holding a tall glass of some sort of fruit juice. He places it on the table and then comes up behind Sulpicia before wrapping himself around her like a limpet.

"Ahh, you look so lovely tonight, my love! I daresay you will also make our uninvited guests uncomfortable due to the bloodiness of your wardrobe. I approve."

Sulpicia rolls her eyes at me before she leans back into her husband's chest. "Then all is right in the world, Aro, as long as you approve," she states with a touch of sarcasm and amusement. Aro seems to purr almost at this statement completely ignoring her tone. A moment later he starts licking and nibbling up her neck. My cheeks grow hot and I quickly turn my eyes away and into Marcus' chest.

A moment later I hear a sharp clap and I turn in time to see Sulpicia shooing Aro's grabbing hands away. "Now is not the time, Aro, you'll ruin my lipstick. Plus you need to stop stalling. I know you want them on edge but the wait is affecting poor Bella and Marcus too so let us go," she says before turning to us.

"Feel free to stay as long as you wish, and don't worry about locking the doors Marcus, I've left the key with Renata, she's to lock up behind you. We'll send word if anything should happen and will see you later tonight no matter the outcome. Alright?" Sulpicia states.

Marcus nods deeply to her. "Of course, my thanks for your understanding, we will leave after things have calmed some. And brothers- take care. Carlisle would not have arrived with no purpose."

Aro POV

"Aro my friend, what has occurred that you greet us with such a show of power?"

I shake my head condescendingly at Carlisle from where I am perched on my throne, my lovely wife close beside me. "You have been surprisingly naughty since you last visited Carlisle- you and your whole not-so-little coven. Did you think that we would ignore what you have done?"

The group of vampires before me blink. Some react in anxiety, others in fear, or the best of the actors among them in false innocent confusion. When you've lived as long as I, that split-second interval always tells the most about where an individual is coming from.

"Why would we do anything!? We know you watch us because you want some of our family for our gifts! You've been waiting for an excuse for decades and you've finally run out of patience!" Rosalie Cullen near screeches towards us.

I raise an eyebrow at her and snort with derision before Caius actually lets loose a dark laugh.

"Girl, though your _siblings_ may posses some nominally useful talents we enjoy the peace in our coven far too much to risk alienating other covens or our guards by essentially destroying vampire groups on a whim or fit of boredom. Eventually someone new with a similar talent will always come along. Not to mention your idiotic addiction to insisting on animal blood is both grotesque and so far removed from our essential base that your lot would be close to useless to us anyways." Rosealie blinks at Caius in shock speechless at his words.

"Think carefully, Carlisle what is our main edict? What else over all of our laws and traditions as a species have we insisted upon?" Caius then questions turning his piercing eyes upon the tall blonde man.

"My family has not exposed our true nature to the humans, Aro. I swear it," Carlisle pleads to me looking earnest and a tad overeager.

Caius rolls his eyes dramatically. "Of course you haven't, you lack the ability to act as a normal vampire Carlisle and thus are unable to reveal a vampires true nature to anyone. However you have revealed us, Cullen, and of that you are most certainly guilty," Caius states easily picking apart the loophole in Carlisle's words.

"Still no idea?" I question patronizingly to them after a moment's silence.

"Once upon a time there was a young woman who lived in Forks," I begin holding my manic smile in place. If it were possible I would say Carlisle paled even further and swayed at my words.

MPOV

"Will you just hold me for a minute?" my Isabella asks so timidly, looking up at me from beneath her thick lashes as my brothers and their wives leave the room. Without answering I draw her close to me, encouraging her silently to plaster herself against my chest.

"For as long as you desire, dearest," I reply. Bella cuddles close and her breathing hitches every now and then as she silently gazes into nothingness on the other side of the room. After a moment she leans forward to grab the beverage and I steady her, keeping her anchored at her waist. After she leans back I give into the urge to cup my hand beneath both hers and the glass as she it still trembling some. She doesn't object and starts to take some slow measured sips. Half a glass later and her colour has improved a little.

"What is bothering you the most, sweet?" I ask quietly, attempting to avoid startling her out of whatever is taking over her mind.

"Just, just the way that they would say one thing and act in such a way that would contradict themselves. Did you know that during the whole ordeal with James, Carlisle said that I was family? And yet not one of them other than Edward said goodbye to me. And Alice insisted that we were best friends but she'd treat me like a stupid lifeless doll who couldn't make up my own mind. God, I was so stupid. The way Edward would act cold at times or so damn condescending. Or the way Jasper would just stare, or Emmet would laugh at me for being human. And Rosalie would sneer at me as though I was vermin.

"Not to mention they were constantly on about me being careful not to cut myself. I was always paranoid about being clumsy. I'm clumsy all the time, I just can't help it, and it would wear on me. So much so I had nightmares about bleeding.

"And the whole trying to convince me I hallucinated when Edward saved me from getting crushed by a van. I mean really, I was young not blind or stupid. I didn't actually hit my head, and they were acting strange already! Like telling me that isn't going to make me more suspicious.

"I just ugghhh I don't understand the point of it all! Was it just amusing to play with the naïve little human girl? Was I an entertainment that just smelt nice? Or were they trying to make me into something I'm not…. Wait that's it isn't it? They were trying to make me into something for Edward, but but something went wrong didn't it?" she rants before drifting into startled horror and looking up at me wide-eyed and desperate.

Her doe-brown eyes tear me apart and the cold rage from her pain intensifies and focuses in the back of my consciousness. The Cullens have no idea what they have brought unto themselves. Even if her theory is merely hysteria-induced the agony they have caused her to make her reach this point makes me nearly speechless with rage. It is only the many years I have lived along with the fact I am in solitude with my mate that allows me to attempt handling Isabella's latest concern with calm.

"Explain your thought process Isabella. Why do you think this?" I ask a thread of tension unwillingly in my voice.

"He's the only single one. Physically I was the right age and I was alone. I had just moved to a small town where the other students had lived and grown together their entire lives. My dad was quiet and worked a lot. I'm quiet too and I don't like conflict, and something about them stood out to me immediately. The entire time was this huge push-pull of emotions but they were constantly trying to make me fit in with them, in this mold of what they wanted me to be. Esme wanted a daughter, someone she could feed and dote on and Edward wanted someone who met his standards. They all wanted something. I had to dress a certain way, participate a specific way with his family, be a certain person or I was somehow lacking."

"And it was working. I was willing to move away with them, leave everything I knew behind me as long as I was with them. With Edward. It's even what attracted me to the piano at first- it was a way to try and live up to his impossibly high standard. And I don't understand and I hate myself and them so so much for all of it," she states so forcefully she gasps for air at the end tears escaping her eyes, rolling thickly down her cheeks. I pull her close feeling helpless, cradling my hurting mate and offering what support I can, though it feels far too insignificant an amount.

"Your theory is sound, and we will figure out the truth on this matter, dearest. However you must not hate yourself. Detest them all you wish, they deserve your scorn for their treatment of you and they will be punished for their actions, but never yourself, sweet. You are still so very young, and against the manipulations of a single vampire more than four times your age even now with your horizons so much broader than before would be a grossly unfair challenge, let alone the maneuverings of an entire coven," I tell her dead serious.

"And know this," I say tilting her chin to look up at me once more. "Even if they had succeeded and changed you, turned you- eventually you would have crossed my path. We would have bonded just the same and the truth would have revealed itself in time. You are meant for me and I for you despite whatever obstacles may have dropped into our paths. _Nothing_ can change that truth."

Aro POV

"Ahh yes, you know of whom I speak do you not, Carlisle? Tiny thing, big brown round eyes, mahogany hair, pale enough to rival the undead ourselves? We stumbled upon your little conflict of interest not so very long ago."

"Aro, no one would believe the words of a single girl. Isabella has not done anything to threaten our kind," Carlisle says his words cajoling.

"No, that would be you who has threatened our existence," Caius snapped from his seat. "You who left a human with the full knowledge of our race unattended, who stupidly got noticed in the first place, who when dealing with a threat completely ignored the obvious and left a girl barely old enough to function in the world alone to deal with the aftermath herself. And what an aftermath it was, Carlisle. You left behind a _bloodbath_."

"What do you mean a bloodbath?" Esme asks looking horrified.

"He means that you forgot or blatantly ignored the bonds between mated pairs, Esme. Victoria came and raised La Push in revenge while you were off elsewhere. Brought her own little army along with her to slaughter your supposed allies the wolves," Sulpicia states her voice hard and cold as ice.

"Did Bella live?" Esme asks after a moment of pained silence. Rosalie interrupts before I can answer.

"Who the hell cares if she lived! She isn't and never should have been our problem! I'll kill the little bitch myself if it'll end all of this. She was always so much more trouble than she was worth, needing us to protect her, requiring us to walk slower, act _normal_. I don't even see what the issue is. You've obviously hushed up the situation, what is the big deal?"

"The deal you spiteful, spoiled harpy is that disobedient and dangerous actions are punished!" Athenodora hissed baring her teeth at Rosalie, though her fangs didn't extend.

"Not to mention, Carlisle is intimately familiar with the style of retribution we the Volturi take when someone fucks with our mates," Caius chimes in coldly reaching out to grasp his wife's hand gently within his own. From my perspective I can see him slowly circling his thumb soothingly on the inside of her wrist.

"I am afraid I don't understand," Carlisle slowly stated after a moment. "I have only received letters from you occasionally over the last decade, Aro. I have not seen neither Athenodora, or your dear Sulpicia in over a century."

"Ahh, but you see Carlisle. It was neither my wife nor Caius' you've harmed. That little insignificant human girl you left behind has miraculously bonded with our brother Marcus. Isabella Marie Swan, who you so tremendously screwed over, is now part of the Volturi. Sweet little thing, we are all quite fond of her really. And we have always how did you describe it that one time? Oh yes, 'savagely defended our own'. Though part of us is glad you ignored your duty to kill or turn her for discovering the existence of our species, we will not ignore all that you did to her. Now lets find out exactly what those pesky little details are shall we?" I taunt. A moment later I dart forward and clench my fingers threateningly into Carlisle's forearm, my other hand free to flick off the guards from acting. Not to mention increased ease upon which to defend myself if his son decides to actually make use of himself. He certainly is not capable of keeping a leash on his mate.

With ease I fall into the memories of his life, the action a familiar one. I quickly push past his boring beginnings, already well aware of the melodramatic '_I must, I mustn't!_' he flitted between for centuries.

Finally I come upon Isabella, looking much the worse for wear in the emergency room. However something shifts after a few moments and the memory, soon memories, have fundamentally changed. I push harder and things clear a little but I am mostly getting a strong range of heavy emotions with blurred disjointed images. Every once in a while a perfectly clear memory will emerge but it always consists of the blandest events. Run-of-the-mill doctor appointments. Gardening with Esme. Praising Alice's new outfit.

Many times in the past I have witnessed things within others minds that has shocked me, disgusted me, confused me. No matter how beings (both humans and vampires alike) prefer to think that the mind works linearly it does not. Sometimes the brain cannot truly understand what it is seeing or interpret it correctly. More often the less intelligent have more memories of things that they have not processed simply because their mind cannot analyze the raw data available and I must do so myself. This however, what is happening in Carlisle's mind, is something I have never witnessed. Ever. I use every ounce of my considerable experience to keep up my jovial act to those around us.

I have not even heard wisps of a tale of a being that could sensor memories. For that is what seems to have occurred here. When I force harder focusing on Isabella specifically I get enough to know Carlisle is fairly neutral about her wellbeing. I can get a sense of her being an acceptable loss and though sad in an abstract way, that is as they say 'no skin off his back.' Instead I receive that any worry is about his son will react.

Finally I am forced to drop Carlisle's arm or risk him realizing that there is something wrong. I focus back on the present to hear Esme making excuses.

"Edward insisted it was for the best that we leave. Bella had a life of her own to live and we had a favour we owed another vampire we needed to repay. Edward has always planned on finding Bella again once we had time."

Athenodora huffs in disgust. "That is truly pathetic, Esme. You can't expect us to believe that? Even me, who has very little logistical planning capabilities can see that sparing two of your coven to watch Isabella while the rest of you went off on this errand would have been the better plan if you had cared for her at all. You brought her into this life, you were responsible for her safety and ensuring she kept the secret. Instead you all up and moved!"

"My concern is what possible favour could have required your entire coven, Carlisle?" Caius questions. I ruthlessly shove my discomfort at not knowing what is truly going on to instead focus on analyzing any tidbits of information that maybe coming out though their words. I feel vulnerable and helpless without my ability to inform me of Carlisle's true motives. I have never liked such emotions and it only heightens my fury at what the Cullens are attempting to pull over on us. With nothing else available to me I pull forward as much of my manipulative mindset that I remember from being human and being able to talk anyone I wished out of whatever I wished, and rapidly combine it with the interrogation skills I have picked up since then and liberally apply them to everything going on around me.

"The Denali family had asked that we come help with a project that they have been working on. When Edward found that he could not hear Isabella we spoke to Eleazar and Carmen asking if they had heard of such happening in humans before. Eleazar had wanted us to survey different possible humans with gifts and the people of Forks were already suspicious of my actual age. Edward believed Isabella far too attached to us to be of any risk to our family or other vampires. Once we were further along in our study he planned to include her as we know she can block Edward but not Alice or Jasper. We had thought sometime near the end of this year. We wanted to combine our powers and knowledge to see what we could learn. It is actually why Tanya and some of my family and I have come. We had hoped to use the Volturi library and ask for any information you may have," Carlisle said smoothly watching me. He has improved his falsehoods over our time apart for though I am fairly sure his reasoning is false, there is enough truth contained within his words that it does not come off as an outright lie.

"Well we should not ignore Miss Denali then, for this sounds as though our race could benefit from this little project of yours." And then though it pained me greatly to say it I proclaimed "And let us hope your endeavour is profitable Carlisle, for it is the only thing delaying our verdict on your punishment on the matter of Isabella."

A look of relief flashes across Emmet's face momentarily and I shriek inwardly. Let these fools believe we will ignore their sins in our pursuit of possible power, and that we will fall into their trap whatever it is. That we would be so easily swayed by such arrogant stupidity. However, with me flying blind so to speak, Isabella's fragile state, Marcus and she settling into their bond as much as a vampire and a human can anyways, and the Romanian threat that may or may not be connected I must buy us time. For my brothers and I must plan as there is much more going on in the depths than the frothing surface shows.

AN: ***peeks out from hiding * **Hello? I am so so so sorry and please don't hurt me for being gone so long! This is the chapter that would not write itself. I seriously could not make up my mind about how I wanted to introduce the Cullens and how they would react.

**I sincerely apologize** to all my readers and commenters for not updating in forever and not answering comments. There really is no excuse that is worthy and all I can say is that I hope to do better in the future. Last time I was just so overwhelmed that I lost track of who I answered and who I hadn't and then I felt awful for not getting back to everyone, and in good denile is not just a river way I tried to ignore the problem. So I am sorry and I hope I can kick my butt back into gear.

Here are a couple things I wanted to address:

Isabella being so sexually naive. Yes Bella is a virgin with very little practical experience at 24. There are a couple reasons for this. Firstly Bella is naturally a person that doesn't connect with people easily and is also the type of person that wants something meaningful with another person before she engages in anything sexual with them.

This combined with her acting like an adult for her mother in Phoenix and then feeling alienated and unconnected in Forks means she didn't have any real experience before Edward. After Edward her father died and so she was grieving followed by a highly traumatic battle in La Push where she saw a good half of a town get slaughtered. Add onto that getting kicked out by the wolves after this (yes, more detail on that should be coming in later chapters), her anxiety issues, and fear of running into more vampires and making enough money to support herself in not the best part of the city and you have a depressed, broken girl with no sex drive. She's had other things to think about, like paying her rent and trying to get up in the morning without spiraling down even further than she already had. One of the side affects from depression is actually reduced libido and really the depression Bella had going on is the least of her issues.

Marcus' little thing with Sulpicia and Athenodora's hands. It'll be more fully explained in the next chapter but basically it is him identifying them as coven members and then allowing them to touch his mate. It's a mix of customs and instincts. Marcus is kinda high strung right now, not only due to everything that is going on, but because Bella is super tense too. Their emotions as mates are easily transferred to one another. Plus their bonding is trying to settle and so that makes Marcus more trigger happy than normal. You'll notice that both Aro and Caius never actually touched Bella in this chapter, Caius just handed Marcus the blanket and backed away. Marcus is going to be fairly protective for a while yet. There will be more vampire custom/instinct things going on in the coming chapters.

Bella becoming pregnant. It's not going to happen. It's just not. For someone so worried about Bella becoming a vampire, Edward and the entire family really messed up big time on not even considering vampire semen. I mean really the lack of logic there is baffling. I like to think Marcus is a bit more wise to the world and venom in general, or heck even just being the bearer of more common sense and that he's going to put a condom on. Even in the past he has never been stupid enough to have sex with a human and possibly contaminate them with his venom. The Volturi had the whole condom thing figured out a good while before humans did and they made use of it. Well that and/or the humans involved were drained afterwards. A little disturbing but the Volturi are a bit disturbing at times anyways, so sorry to anyone who was looking forward to a baby.

Commenting. Please don't feel you have to comment on every chapter. I deeply value every comment I receive as it boosts my writing time and makes me feel extremely honoured. Because of my ADHD I have the tendency to read your comment, love it and then get distracted by something else before I can reply. Which inevitably makes me feel awful. So this time around I'm going to focus on answering only those with questions or ideas or something really touching. It's not that I don't love the rest of you, it's just my attention fades in and out and I actually want to get back to people this time.

Lastly, the best way to help me write is to comment constructively. If something really jumps out at you, strikes an emotional cord in a good or bad way, really makes you think, you think is hilarious, you find emotionally moving, you hate, you find unrealistic, really realistic, can't understand etc. I REALLY WANT TO KNOW! Want to see something expanded upon? I want to know about that too! It's these connections with you my audience that let me know as a writer what you want more of and sets off inspirational scenes and topics for me to explore. When you comment and tell me why something causes such-and-such a reaction in you it helps a TON.

All in all I want to tank you all for your continued support and love. A shout-out to the girls on the Until Dawn Fanfiction Facebook page too as you kicked me to finally finish this chapter with your ideas/prompts. Without every reader and reviewer out there I would not have made it even half as far as I have. Plus I haven't given up on this story for everyone who has asked, and I have no plans to give up on it, though the muse has been slow. Until next time, take care!


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

MPOV

Isabella is clearly shaken by her revelation and I silently promise painful retribution onto the entirety of the Cullen's despite whatever the official ruling of their crimes is to be. She is so insecure in herself and I can see that a large part of that is due to their actions and lies towards her.

After a few moments she tucks herself close to my chest once more and I decide to move us back to our rooms, hoping that she can gain comfort in a place more suited to her needs rather than rooms so heavily influenced by Aro.

Scooping her up I easily balance her weight against myself with my elbow under her ass, upper arm bracing along her back allowing me to grab my sword with my free hand. Bella gasps quietly and clutches me tightly still automatically worried about being dropped. I am patient though; she will eventually learn I would never allow such to happen.

Afton, as expected is down the hall and standing at attention off to the side. One of the reasons he led the guard's training for so many years is that he is very attuned to what is going on around him. He's picked up on my instincts concerning Isabella and wisely decided to give me extra space. He's still close enough to do his job, yet is far enough away and familiar so that I don't feel threatened by him. It is so refreshing to have someone with competence around. Upon seeing me he dips his head respectfully. I nod back and enter our rooms once more. I then settle my mate onto a chair near the fire again. I can only hope Aro will be quick about getting information from the Cullens as I find I have little patience for all the chaos surrounding me, what with Isabella recovering, the Romanian threat and now their arrival.

APOV

I grit my teeth and smile brightly as Miss Denali enters the throne room. The main issues with accusing the Cullens of anything at this point is that I cannot truly say that I have seen evidence to support the claim that they ousted us to a human. I know there is more going on here, and they admitted themselves that they informed Isabella about their existence, but if Carlisle chooses to press the issue, and collect around the globe his numerous supporters, well we may have a problem. I know of at least one truth-teller that he has influence over that could bring things to light. I cannot say that I saw Isabella in his mind in such a situation that makes him guilty. Carlisle is also aware of the fact that Isabella is likely a shield. If she can block my gift she can almost certainly block Edwards and he can likely extrapolate my deficiency in that area. No, there is something going on here, something that they are blatantly hiding along with any connection to Isabella. We desperately need more information but we cannot be seen to torture them for more when they seemingly are working to help improve our power, or over a human girl that we have already sealed the deal with so to speak. All that I can do now is attempt to access everyone elses minds in their party and find someway to break through this haze that covers select memories. Later I will revel in the new challenge but for now, I am merely livid and focused upon succeeding in my goal.

I turn my attention to the Succubi before me. Why my wife ever worried that I would fall for such brazenness confuses me. Everyone and anyone can see almost all of her breasts all the way down to her navel. The skirt on her garment is so short if she bends or moves too quickly she will be presenting the entirety of herself to the room. Yes she is beautiful, and I am a man, but that does not mean that I respect the woman who would carry herself so. To me she seems as though she is the equivalent of human junk food- easy to get, sometimes disgusting and cheap as hell. Quite honestly it makes me thankful that vampires do not transmit nor carry disease.

Do not get me wrong if Sulpicia was not a part of my life I would likely consider fucking the woman, but that is all it would be, a physical release. Mates connect on such a different plane that it is difficult to compare the two. Not to mention I would never let someone in my bed have power over my decisions. Let them think they do so I can laugh at their obliviousness yes, but true power from an outside source- never.

I grab Tanya's hand in greeting kissing her knuckles and grinning flirtatiously at her. Thankfully she only grins back and does not attempt to curtsey in return as is traditional- that skirt was not made for anything formal- though are we not due at least a modicum of respect anymore?

I force as much of my focus and gumption into my power as I can without appearing that I am. It has been literally millennia since I have had to work as hard as I am at my gift currently. The woman's life flashes before my eyes and I speed it until I am going off intuition instead of sight. Dear gods does she really have to give her favours out so easily? I did not need to see half of these encounters.

Finally I start to see more recent interaction with the Cullens and then that damnable fog with only hints of emotions. I press harder and can only make out blurred images. The same pattern that Carlisle's mind went through: bland, blurred, sex, bland, sex, blurred, sex, sex, bland. Nothing of use other than some very faint feelings of paranoia and current cocky confidence. I release Ms. Denali and move back before continuing our conversation and setting up the arrangements of their stay. However I have the suspicion that this is going to be a running theme amongst these unexpected guests. I also have the unsettled feeling that our only advantage is going to be the wrecking ball of surprises that follows Marcus' little Isabella. My brother is not going to be pleased.

APOV

"This is either an extension of the gift of Edward's or at the very least time in his presence has allowed our guests the advantage of only thinking of alternative thoughts other than their main goal once previous memories were obscured. After checking all of our arrivals I was able to determine that they are partially here for a distraction- why else send the Succubus as young Emmet's mind briefly pointed out. However, there is something else as well that I cannot get at. No other bits and pieces to add together into anything concrete. I will list out as much of the bland life memories as I can in recent years for you Caius to see if you can see any patterns that I cannot, but I simply cannot acquire enough information to concretely accuse them. They know of Isabella, they have admitted it and that they left her human, however she has been isolated since or lost all human contact from their time of departure. We can indeed punish them but not to the extent we have all agreed they deserve. We do not yet have confirmation of Isabella's story of the newborn army- and though we believe her others of our kind will not. Not to mention that as she is still human the Cullen coven can argue their side to their allies."

Both my brothers and our women frown or look worried. Isabella herself seems momentarily surprised by the mention of appropriate punishment. I continue hoping I can get all of my observations and plans out before Marcus interrupts. I can tell he is holding himself back already and yet I am not even at the most distressing part for him.

"As I see it our only advantage is Isabella herself. They will not expect her I do not think, to have any skill in subterfuge. Anger and pain, yes, but no alternative motive. I believe she is our trump card, because from my brief discussion and impression from Isabella herself- they believe her too cowed and led by her emotional need for connection for this to be possible." I turn and look at Isabella, taking note of her paler than normal skin.

"You are normally too sweet my dear, but if we coach you and work with you before unleashing you on them, we have a decent chance of actually getting enough scraps of information to form a picture," I continue speaking to Marcus' mate and feeling a string of unease in my gut from her widening eyes. I continue speaking hoping to convince the girl of going along with my idea. I am positive there is more to Isabella than she has let show thus far, we just need to convince her that taking flight doesn't mean she'll have no where to land when the storm comes.

"We need to know if the blocking ability extends to current thoughts or merely past memories. If a trigger word or phrase or action is involved to lift the haze or if instead they are actively avoiding full thoughts that they are trying to keep from our knowledge. If only Eleazar was not involved we could have a better idea of the entirety of this gift.-" Caius interrupts me. Well I was done for the moment anyways.

"We need the information on what has caused the Cullen's to give up their normal way of living for a debt. Esme herself said that they went north due to a favour. Not a project, or experiment or visit but a favour; meaning that there is the implied return of some debt owed. I do agree with Aro however, there is very much more going on here than Carlisle is letting on. For now let us just ensure that a minimum of two guards are watching all of our visitors at all times.

MPOV (Next day)

As I enter our rooms I can hear Isabella making little upset sounds, as though she is straining to achieve something. After a moment she curses quietly, then huffs almost tearfully in frustration. Upon hearing this I swiftly move to her dressing room and knock on the door.

"Are you alright, Isabella?" I question.

She stills and I can hear her take a deep breath. There then is a crush of fabric before she shuffles somewhat awkwardly to the entry. A moment later she opens the door a crack and peeks out from behind it.

"I, I just can't get this corset get-up to cooperate, Marcus. I'm really not sure this elaborate gown thing is going to work. I mean I'm about as far opposite of elaborate as you can get. I'll look like an idiot!" she says her face showing her distress and worry brought to the forefront by her frustration with the garment but rooted in her fear and anxiousness regarding the upcoming confrontation with the Cullens.

"Isabella, you will look stunning in the dress. I will be there beside you for the entirety of this complete mess, and I will never let you look anything less than how striking you truly are. As for the dress will you allow me to help?"

My little mate blushes a tad but nods and shuffles back into the dressing room. Once she has moved the fabric and layers of the ballgown out of the way I follow and close the door behind me. She stands in front of the full-length mirror, both arms clasping the bodice of the dress to her chest modestly. The back of the dress hangs loosely on either side and the ribbons hang limply in a large tangle around her back and sides.

Pushing up the arms of my sleeves I step up to her and turn her so she faces the mirror and her back is to me. The corset of this is integrated into the design of the bodice, which is honestly a much better idea than previous centuries multiple variations on this type of undergarment. After detangling the worst of the knotted ribbons I glance up and realize she's still wearing her modern bra.

So that I don't startle her I rest a hand gently on her bare shoulder before trailing my fingers down her spine then stopping over top the hooks. "Corsets such as the one in your dress are designed to fully support you, sweet. I am positive Athenodora has had yours made to fit. May I unlatch this?"

As expected Bella blushes hotly whispering a soft "Oh," of surprise as she grasps what I mean. She grips the top of the dress tighter but nods ducking her head so she doesn't have to meet my eyes in the mirror. I press a series of small kisses to her shoulder as I first attempt to figure out how the hooks detach before deftly undoing it. It never ceases to amaze me how much more stretch materials can have these days. As the bra is strapless all I need to do is grab both sides and gently tug down off her breasts before slipping it out between the fabric of the gown and her skin. Tossing the bra off to the side I softly sooth the marks it left on her back with the pads of my fingers before holding the sides of the stiffened fabric. Pulling slightly so that she lets go of the front I lower the bodice a touch and then bring it closer and back up slightly into place against her.

Transferring my hold of the side panels to be held loosely in place by the ribbons at the back with a single hand I smooth the other up over the indigo fabric from her hips over her waist to her ribs. "Do you need to adjust it any?" I question. She nibbles her lip a second before reddening and moving her breasts an increment upwards. I pull the fabric at the back accordingly.

Mouthing along the line of her neck I simultaneously re-thread the ribbon through the silk loops that line the back and start about mid-shoulder blade. This I have done many times before, quite often during the time period where these were the height of fashion for both Athenodora and Sulpicia but also for my occasional private entertainments.

"It is no wonder you were so frustrated, dearest. These still require two people to get into unless you have a great amount of practice or they are pre-laced," I say trying to ease the tension in my little one some.

"Athenodora on a great many occasions would get her ribbons tangled or snagged somehow and require someone to rework them for her, and as I had no mate for the time period where these were popular I became a safe, spare set of hands to do her bidding. Not to mention the amount of times I and various others would walk in on Aro doing up Sulpicia after finishing their current tryst in any number of rooms in the castle. Mostly though a maid helps out. Expand your ribcage for me," I say lightly finishing correcting the loose lacing along the back.

"Expand?" she asks looking up into my eyes once more. I move my hands around to cup her ribs, moving them with my words.

"Breathe in, low into your lungs and move your ribs out through here. Vampires may have themselves strapped into a corset as tightly as possible, but I will not have you fainting in need of air. This way if you hold your breath in for a moment I can tighten the lacing enough so that you can still breathe deeply, but have it secure enough it still fits you like a second skin," I explain. I still remember the various swooning spells rich human women underwent from too-restrictive corsets or the horror stories of illnesses from impacted organs. There is a sensible way to achieve the silhouette a corset offers. Of course it is not as though my mate needs much to amplify what she already possesses with her waist being as slim as it is. Though not what I would describe as curvy she does have the virtues of womanhood enough that she in no way resembles the skeletal ideal current society idolizes.

"'Kay. Breathing is desirable," my Bella agrees somewhat sardonically. I chuckle then smile at her as she does as instructed.

"Good girl, hold for a moment," I praise, already tightening down the row of crossed lacings so it lies flat and snugly against her back. When I reach the end she lets her breath out naturally and I hold the silk ribbon together at the bottom, just above her rear.

"How is this, too tight surrounding your ribs? Too loose around your bust?" I question ensuring that she will be supported yet still comfortable.

"I think it's good," Bella says after a few experimental breaths. I nod and tie the ribbons off before tucking them so they hang between different layers of the skirts out of the way. Finished I move my hands to circle her tiny waist, ducking my head down to nuzzle against her neck and teething against her fair skin slightly. She shivers back into me.

"Magnificent," I state softly and she blushes. The vivid indigo brings out the paleness of her skin and highlights the blue of her veins ever so minutely. The bodice is embroidered with white gold twirls in a simple brocade pattern. Her hair Sulpicia has done half up and half down, showing off her blemish-free neck but leaving the lovely waves against her shoulders. Amongst the portion pulled back are the dry-textured, vivid purple of Xeranthemum and delicate white Sweet Alyssum blooms. I smile a touch at her intentional use of certain flowers, Sulpicia has always been one for hidden meanings. She has had to be with Aro as her mate.

Isabella's floor length, full skirt adds elegance with a subtle ripple effect of the overlay fabric over the underlying layer. Someone has painted her nails a shade to closely match the dress and tinted her lips a sheer red like she has been eating berries. The fabric of the inner skirt is imprinted so that when the light hits it just so the Volturi crest is visible to the vampire eye.

Isabella turns beneath my hands but wobbles as the skirts catch around her unpracticed feet; I tighten my grip in response. She laughs breathily, before leaning into me, embracing me around the waist. I press a kiss to her forehead before crouching enough that she can wrap her arms over my shoulders and I can lift and embrace her properly.

"I'm still not sure I'm going to be able to move in this all that well," she admits and I smile at her sheepish and amused expression.

"I will carry you if necessary," I promise reassuringly. She leans back a moment, looking into my eyes.

"You don't need to carry me all the time," she offers softly. I tilt her chin and kiss her, my tongue sweeping into her giving mouth with little effort causing her to moan quietly.

"I enjoy having you in my arms and close to me, _Carissima_. Besides it is no trouble, even when I was human you would not have weighed much to me. Not to mention sweet, I can tell it brings you comfort and that gladdens me. Now, I believe there are just a few small details missing."

She laughs a little playing with the ends of my hair. "Well I don't have any shoes on, and the stone floor is freezing. But if you're going to carry me then I guess it doesn't really matter."

"Not necessary no, however we cannot have it seem as though we cannot afford shoes for you, dearest," I reply teasingly. She giggles at me sweetly and I carry her out into our bedroom before placing her gently on the edge of the bed.

"I may have something that will suit to keep your feet warm, one moment," I say and she nods patiently. It takes barely a second for me to go into my own dressing room where I had temporarily placed her accessories and retrieve them, quickly reappearing before her.

I set aside the other array of boxes except the largest of the group- which holds her matching shoes. "See if these will do," I instruct sitting beside her so that I may have the best view of her face.

Isabella tilts her head curiously at me for a moment before reaching forward and opening the understated cardboard box. Inside amongst packing foam is a wooden box with the designer's brand burned into it. The designer is an Italian one, one of Athenodora's favourites, though knowing my Bella I do not expect her to recognize the logo. She admires the wood momentarily running her fingers along the smooth grain before lifting the edge with her fingertips.

Isabella's lips open into a small surprised smile as she sees the delicate shoes arranged for her. Dark indigo-purple suede flat shoes lined with silk and cushioning with a ruffled design on the top dotted with diamonds, river pearls and sapphires. There is rubber on the soles of them, though it is thin making the pair much like the dancing slippers of old. Feminine; yet still practical enough that the opportunity for chaotic injury is greatly reduced.

"They're lovely Marcus," she states smiling at me before looking back to the shoes and fingering the gems, a furrow forming momentarily between her brows.

"These aren't real are they? What if they fall off and I lose them?"

"You are my mate, anything you receive will be real. As for if they're lost or damaged they can easily be replaced. Things are meant to be worn and used not kept in a chest and gazed at once in a while," I say trying to not sound displeased. I find it difficult sometimes to wrap my head around her modern upbringing- women of my time either thought jewelry was their due right, the ability for their family or husband to show off their wealth, or proof of their husband's affection and esteem. Of course I have always been a noble and therefore rich. There were a small series of lean years when Aro, Caius and I were young but between our three skills once we met and formed our bonds we rarely wanted for much- or it could be regained quickly enough.

My introspection is quickly stopped when I realize Isabella is looking down at the shoes with a frown on her brow and teeth digging into her bottom lip.

"Dearest," I scold affectionately, sliding my one hand into her loose hair and drawing her lower lip into my mouth to protect it from her torment. I suck gently and occupy her tongue for a moment before leaning back leaving her breathless and wide-eyed. Leaning my forehead against hers I look into her eyes and hold her gaze.

"You are my mate, cost means nothing to me, I merely wish you to be comfortable, safe and happy, and Dearest jewelry does and continues to have an effect on all three of those things. Never mind that you will be my queen and I intend to treat you as such. I have known few women who have disliked the look of all jewelry, or how they look in it. I also know that you do appreciate and enjoy pretty things, sweet, as well you should. If you cannot get pleasure out of simple beauty in the world it would be a duller existence on this earth- I know for I went the centuries until your arrival to re-inspire such in me."

Bella blinks "I do like them, I'm just unsure how jewelry can possibly have an effect on my safety or comfort," she admits before slipping her feet into the shoes. She wiggles her toes in them and stands.

"Oh these are so soft! And the soles are gel-like, that's so neat!" she exclaims before sitting again. My lips quirk at the side, pleased by her delight, it would be the comfort and practical uses that would excite my mate. I touch her elbow gently easing her down back onto the edge of the bed again.

"By comfort I am alluding to the fact that the majority of allied covens will have similar expensive accessories and wardrobes. Especially during formal events and the occasional ball we hold or attend. I do not wish for you to feel under-dressed or somehow lesser than any way. As for safety having sufficient jewelry and show of wealth impresses upon others that the Volturi is wealthy and powerful and is not a force to be reckoned with. Essentially it is safety through subliminal messaging."

Bella blinks at me again. "Does that actually work?" I chuckle at her incredulous face.

"Sadly dearest, yes. It does indeed work."

"Weird," she comments under her breath. I think I can safely assume Isabella is not going to be swayed by gems and silks.

"Excluding that, I do hope you like these, dearest," I say handing Isabella two velvet-topped jewelry boxes.

Bella takes a deep breath and looks up at me. "Thank-you Marcus. I appreciate that you are making sure I'm prepared."

I gently press a kiss to Bella's forehead. "Always, my sweet. Now take a look and tell me if it is to your liking. I had these custom ordered for you."

Bella blushes and turns back to the boxes, opening the top along the hinge of the smaller of the two. Bella gasps and runs the tip of one finger along the edge of the ring nestled inside. The ring is platinum and deep purple enamel with scrollwork detailing both within the enamel and along the edges. Lining the edge is small diamonds which frame the single diamond stone in the centre.

"Oh Marcus, I've never seen anything like it. It's stunning, thank-you," Bella whispers, seemingly finally coming to the realization of realm of wealth the Volturi holds.

The next jewelry box yields a strand of dark purple and green Tahitian pearls with matching pearl drop earrings. Bella tilts the box slightly to catch the iridescence of the pearls in the light, speechless as she pets the natural gems. Seeing that my mate is speechless I take her right hand and slide the ring onto her finger before gesturing for her to turn so I may attach the necklace around her throat. Bella puts both earrings into her ears, and she looks at me still stunned. I tip her chin slightly to look at me. "Now you are finished my sweet. A better being I have not met to bring out the beauty of the gems instead of increasing the beauty of the wearer."

A moment later Bella wraps her arm rapidly around my neck. "I love you, Marcus."

"I love you too, sweet."

MPOV

Isabella's limbs have the barest hint of a tremor, though she is attempting to hide it by tightly clasping her hands together. I pull her back so that her back settles against my chest, and I am framing her fully. As she is on my lap her feet dangle, heels resting against my shins and I cradle her clenched hands within my own. The mass of her skirts waft over my legs but my cloak-clad shoulders dwarf her petite frame easily. I am wearing all black providing a striking background to her brilliance.

Everything about this has been thought out and obsessively planned. As Sulpicia rightfully pointed out earlier there is no larger statement that can be made than to use a leader of the Volturi as one's personal throne, shield and dais; to have them not only allowing such to be done to them, but readily insisting on such. Even the stupidest of vampires can read the signs here.

I personally know Aro is looking forward to Carlisle's reaction, though I could not care less. Carlisle is never someone I felt the need to deal with unless necessary. Unfortunately this little meeting has been deemed necessary, much to my displeasure. The only positive, is that it is not as though as I am merely an object here, if my mate becomes threatened I will be burning corpses. Truthfully I am merely waiting so I can eventually invoke retribution rights.

Bella grips my hands tightly and takes a deep breath shakily. Abandoning my silent show of support, I duck my head and lightly press my lips behind her ear. They brush her skin as I speak.

"You can do this. They are not worthy of your anxiety and no matter what occurs once they arrive they cannot touch you. You are _my_ mate, and I am one of the eldest and most deadly vampires on this planet. That means that if anyone ever _fucks_ with you again Isabella, they will die a very slow and painful death. We may need Carlisle at the moment but the instant we do not I am going to shred his worthless hide and introduce him to the fires of Hades personally."

Bella shivers and looks up at me with large eyes. I've frightened her. I work for a moment to temper my lust for violence on her behalf, morphing my face into something soofter. "I will never harm you, sweet. Never. Those who have wronged you however are mine by the demands of honour. I know that you are too young to understand, but I come from a very different time and amongst vampires if you do not retaliate to the harm bestowed upon you and yours it is seen as weakness. And I will by no means allow you to come under peril if I can simply fix the issue."

I nuzzle into her neck and wetly kiss and lick my scent onto her skin. When she is sufficiently distracted from the topic as this is not the time for her to dwell on my darker nature, I kiss her lips gently and move my mouth back to her ear. "I believe in you, just follow my lead if needed. Simply try to ask questions that require more detailed answers as we discussed earlier. Say what you wish to them and try to gain some closure from this. If it becomes too much scratch along my palm and I will get us out. Understand?" I question.

Bella nods gripping my hands again and sitting up more, pushing her shoulders back.

She pauses before glancing up at me again. "When we're done will you kiss and distract me for a bit?" she asks timidly.

Instantly my eyes darken and I grin hungrily at her. "Oh, my Isabella. I will gladly make your perseverance worth your while. Would you like that sweet? Would you like me to pleasure you so that you do not remember anything but the feel of my tongue and fingers on your flesh?" I question whispering my words huskily down to her.

Bella's response is immediate. Her pupil's dilate and I feel the muscles in her lower abdomen contract through the fabric of her gown upon which our clasped hands rest. She gasps lightly and her face flushes while she bites hard into her bottom lip. A moment later the scent of her arousal wafts up and my nostrils flare slightly. I am positive my eyes are black as pitch with how intensely responsive my little mate is. If it were not for the sound of Aro and Sulpicia coming down the hall toward us I would be sorely tempted to leave with her back to our rooms.

"Be good for me, get through this trial sweet, and I will take very good care of you. Are you ready?"

Bella quickly becomes much more subdued at my unfortunate reminder, a flash of shame crossing her face. She nods grimly. I make mental note to address that particular reaction later, possibly once I am stripping her of this dress that I tied her into, or when she is under me half out of her senses.

Aro and Sulpicia enter, taking over the loveseat beside the chair we are occupying. Sulpicia threateningly grips Aro's wrist when she smells how strung up both Bella and myself are. The action is unneeded however, as Aro merely raises a teasing eyebrow at me. He is well aware I would not take kindly to him riling up Isabella with his glib words in this circumstance.

"Do you remember what we spoke of Isabella?" Aro asks and she nods. My brother grins wickedly and Sulpicia smiles at my mate encouragingly.

"Alright Honey, here they come," Sulpicia whispers to Bella patting her comfortingly on her arm.

I too can hear the four Cullens coming towards the room. A moment later they are at the door knocking.

Aro glances at us and I squeeze my Bella's hands reassuringly before nodding in return to Aro.

"Enter!" my brother calls and the door opens allowing a portion of Carlisle's coven to join us in the room. Bella tenses minutely on my lap.

**AN: So I am alive. I've had a bunch of personal stuff going on specifically with my health the last little while so I very much appreciate your patience for this chapter. **

**First news if you haven't seen it yet there is a side story featuring Athenodora and Caius that shows the Volturi's first meeting with the Romanian coven. There are also some short prompts on the facebook fan page if anyone is interested.**

**Now onto the researched part of this chapter (pictures are available on the pinterest page of Bella's gown, her ring, her earrings, something like her shoes and her necklace.)**

**Xera****nthemum- these flowers have a dual meaning of Cheerfulness under adverse conditions as well as representing a symbol for immortality. **

**Sweet Alyssum- Means worth beyond beauty as well as the idea that they are supposed to provide serenity (taken directly from the name meaning without rage).**

**Both flowers were picked under the idea of providing Bella with a little something extra when she confronts the Cullens. The immortality aspect in particular is a bit of a F*** You to them as well.**

**The colour of Bella's dress is indigo which also is symbolic. Indigo is supposed to provide the wearer a focus for personal issues, the ability to increase intuition, an alternate way of viewing a problem and increase inner communication. All things Bella is going to need in the coming chapter. **

**Black or Tahitian pearls are said to be grounding, and offer stability and protection. Pearls in general often are linked to purity as well as the ability to accept oneself and provide calm.**

**I want to apologize for the length of this chapter, I originally planned on it being much longer but I really wanted to get this bit out, so instead the next bit is already half-written. This also is when things start to speed up plot-wise (hopefully). Although I will say Marcus and Bella have made themselves quite clear that they are expecting more sexy-times, in particular in the most ridiculous places. Sometimes I'm not even sure where my characters are getting their ideas.**

**Much love everyone, until next time. And of course thank-you as always to everyone who reads and reviews and messages me. I treasure every one of you and your support.**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

BPOV

Carlisle opens the heavy wooden door passing it off to Emmett to hold for the others while he leads his coven inside.

When he looks at us I can actually see the shock on his face before he blinks and his features morph to something representing jubilant relief- his expression changing so quickly it is as though the previous emotion was merely a trick of the light.

"Bella! Such a surprise to see you here of all places. You appear to be doing well," Carlisle says and I force myself to blink at him with apathy.

"Dr. Cullen. Not really such a surprise that I'm here considering I can't seem to go more than a couple of years without seeing a vampire. It has been that way ever since I first moved to Forks. As for looking well, I suppose so. Marcus and the Volturi have taken great care to help me recover," I reply calmly, slowly tightening my grip on Marcus' fingers for comfort. He obligingly squeezes back.

"Bella, you know you don't have to be so formal with us," Esme admonishes quietly after a moment's silence; looking like she wants to come forward and touch me but is put off by Marcus' presence. Thank God for small favours. Rosalie of course appears as cranky as always, he mouth tight, and her eyes portraying a gaze of superiority and disgust. Emmett is peering back and forth from his mate to the others as if to try and figure out some great mystery he's been left out of, obviously unsure of why his wife is appearing so hostile while the others so overjoyed.

I take a moment to balance in my mind what to say in response to Esme, along with Aro's instructions previously, before deciding to go with my gut instinct. "I really would prefer to refer to you all formally, Mrs. Cullen. To be perfectly honest, feel like I never truly knew any of you and that you certainly never knew me."

All of the abbreviated Cullen coven look at me for a moment displaying a variety of taken aback and condescending faces. Oh joy here it comes, the Bella guilt-trip they liked to pull.

"That's not true, Bella, and you know that. We accepted you into our family from the very beginning. After everything our family went through together I would have hoped you'd remember that," Esme says, tucking her arm around Carlisle's from where she sits beside him on the hard couch opposite from where our coven has positioned themselves.

It is yet another subtle power play the furniture, as the seats we have placed ourselves in are not only a tad more elaborate, they are also higher off the ground. Everything is to give a slight advantage, even the fact that the chairs and couch they've been provided with have very little to them as far as comfort goes- though how much that really affects them as vampires I can not say.

I gape at her for a split second before I force myself to laugh bitterly. "You and I must have very different definitions of family, Mrs. Cullen. Do you regularly leave members of your family in peril?"

"Whatever do you mean, Bella? Edward left you so that you could be human and happy, we've only ever looked out for you," Carlisle replies a touch of condescension in his voice, completely ignoring my request for formality as well. Why am I not surprised?

"Caius, I believe it was you who explained to me about what any sensible vampire does when they kill a vampire's mate." Caius looks my way, his face blank but he nods graciously at me so I continue speaking. "Emmett, why don't you take a guess at what the best course of action is in that particular instance. Or better yet, let's say someone has killed Rosalie. What's your course of action?"

Emmett blinks at me before exclaiming incredulously, "I kill them of course! Or get in contact with the rest of our family to help get justice."

I smile at him slightly then turn to Carlisle and lift an eyebrow. "You do remember the other two vampires that came with James, correct?"

Emmett glances—at least I think so, stupid vampire speed—towards Carlisle unsurely. "Victoria followed us, Isabella," Carlisle begins to speak, I however interrupt him with a snort of incredulity; if they truly believed that Victoria had followed them all those years ago, she certainly hadn't for long, nor had they done a well enough job of keeping track of her. Thankfully Aro steps in at this point, sitting up straighter and looking down upon the Cullens before speaking slowly as though explaining himself to a particularly dense child.

"We are vampires Carlisle, please think for a moment as one. Predators, _such as us,_ go after the weakest link. The prey that is least likely to fight back, especially if it will draw other stronger prey down with it. Our Isabella, especially by herself, was the perfect target. You have all lived long enough to know this. In addition, you know very well what our response would have been to Victoria killing a human that knew as much as Isabella does— she would have been thanked. Has the diet you are on befuddled your senses so completely as to make you become completely blind to this? What could possibly have been your reasoning?"

"We consulted with Alice and believed that us leaving was the best possible course. None of us believed Edward would leave his mate long enough for there to be an issue," Carlisle pressed to Aro entreatingly.

At the word mate I felt Marcus tense and shift me incrementally closer. I mentally shudder at the thought of having such an intense connection with Edward in the same way as I have with Marcus. The physical intimacy as well as the more important emotional connection was leagues away from what I ever felt back in highschool with Edward. I feel desired and precious with Marcus instead of always being substandard around Edward. The circumstances of my life since their departure and the happenings around me have provided much fodder for self-reflection, especially lately now that I am beginning to feel safer, not to mention the tidal-wave of emotional responses over the last few hours since their arrival. The amount of disrespect and scorn that hid behind their actions haunts me— or rather my naïveté to their real thoughts and feelings does. I do hope to have the confidence to bring all these issues up to them but I am unsure how my grudges could possibly bring forth more information about what the Cullen's motivations are; let alone keep up the front of the Volturi being alright with using humans willy-nilly as long as they get gifted vampires out of it. A large part of me is afraid I'll screw this up, that I won't succeed, but as the rest of my… my coven, I suppose has informed me that that would be impossible unless I out and out reference the Romanians. I suppose the best course of action here is to continue to fake it until I make it.

"That seems like such a familial thing to do, doesn't it? Make such life altering decisions on one person's say-so. You all really don't like to include everyone's point of view at all. _Let us review._" I state holding up one hand and bringing a finger up slowly for each point. I take a deep breath and hope my voice doesn't waver or warble too much with emotion.

"Leaving me without even an emergency contact phone number, let alone any other details, that's a responsible thing for a doctor to do. Completely ignoring some of my concerns dealing with James and my mother during that particular trial. Because conferring with the only person there who knew the intended victim was obviously a waste of time," I state scathingly, briefly rolling my eyes. It is such a modern thing to roll one's eyes, completely full of disrespect that I know it will bother the Cullens- I make a note to thank Athenodora for that particular thought later, for now I plow ahead with full steam, my voice rising a little.

"Alice and her insistence on always using me as her prop for every little fancy- such as Bella Barbie, the birthday party, even what I ate sometimes. I am not, nor never was a pet, I have my own preferences for self-expression and I certainly didn't need her constantly making me feel as though my opinions were inferior. Not to mention your coven blaming me for situations that occurred beyond my control—Edward in particular was good at that, Port Angeles and the baseball game are some highlights. The laying of blame at one individual's feet never seemed to be just me either. Jasper at my birthday party was the one who was considered guilty by you all- which was and still is completely ridiculous. He's an empath!" I exclaim leaning forward on Marcus' knees as if to emphasize my points.

"Even I who has little experience with vampiric gifts know that not only would he have had to deal with his own bloodlust, but that of every other vampire in that room; especially after Edward's glorious rescue which pushed me into a stack of glass dishes. Which brings me to the observation that it isn't just me among your so-called family you ignored; Rosalie and Jasper's rightful concern about a human being let in on the secret, especially considering that Edward wasn't even my mate, was one such time. Gosh, the many objections of Rosalie alone, her rightful concerns that everyone ignored! Is it because she isn't gifted or because she's female, Dr. Cullen, that you don't listen to her? As it seems from where I sat on the outside looking in that the only vampires whose opinions you ever take into consideration are Edward and Alice. I doubt even your mate gets much say—"

"Don't bring me into this, you pathetic human" Rosalie interrupts jarringly, her voice holding barely restrained rage, her hand clenched claw-like into her husband's arm. "You have no idea what you're talking about, let alone all the contributing factors-"

"Watch your tongue, girl," Sulpicia hisses coldly, her back straight and her lips slightly curled in an aggressive and disgusted expression. "Isabella is mated to our brother, and thus she deserves the respect that come with such a position—especially within our home."

"Edward _is_ Isabella's mate, Sulpicia," Esme insists after a moment of silence in which Sulpicia continues to glare at Rosalie, not allowing herself to be distracted by the other female. Rosalie finally relents and huffs slightly in acknowledgement before nodding stiffly and turning away. Aro laughs at Esme's comment.

"Carlisle did you not even bother to teach your mate about the basics of vampire mating? Or bonding? Or even Marcus and I's gifts?" he asks rhetorically.

"I assure you Mrs. Cullen, from Marcus' gift it is quite apparent that Isabella is his mate- and no one else's," Aro says condescendingly.

"Why is she still human than? Obviously her very presence is breaking the laws you uphold," Rosalie snarks heatedly, with the barest veneer of politeness.

I go to speak but Marcus squeezes my wrist lightly. I turn back to look at him a tad and can see his face is much like stone, and I'm glad he is not looking at me with such an expression.

"Why my mate is not turned yet is no concern but our coven's. In the past we have allowed the rare vampire a slight extension in keeping a human such until a specified time. Or are you and your coven questioning our ability to rule? That we would risk our entire species existence without thought?" he questions his voice deep and pointed. If possible Rosalie looks as though she would pale if she had the ability.

"Of course not. No," Carlisle states, placing a restraining hand on Rosalie's shoulder. "We do not question your rule. It is merely a shock for us to arrive in one of the vampire strongholds of the world and find Isabella here. We expected her to be back safely at home in the United States."

I bit back a laugh of disbelief causing all of the eyes in the room to turn towards me once more. "I have not been safe since well before you even left Forks, Doctor. Do you know what your lack of forethought cost? Hmm?" Carlisle blinks at me momentarily, I continue as it looks as though he has decided to act as though I am exaggerating.

"What happened was that Victoria did exactly what Caius stated earlier- she went after the weakest link. What happened was that I had to hide for my life behind more supernatural, your neighbours the werewolf pack. What happened was that due to your inability to share critical information, let a lone act on it, a total of thirty-two young Quilette men and one woman changed due to the presence of yourselves and later the group of sadists Victoria brought with her. What happened was that twenty-one of those wolves died trying desperately to protect their people. What happened, Doctor Carlisle Cullen, was that I got to witness and now bare the weight of forty-eight deaths on my soul for the rest of my life; of elders, men, women and children, some of which were under my care at the time. I've lost most everything in my life due to your recklessness. The only possible good that has come of this is my connection with Marcus," I finish quietly but firmly. Esme is looking at back and forth at Carlisle and myself in horror, while Rosalie isn't looking at anyone at all her eyes focused steadily on the stone wall.

Emmett gapes for a moment- "You weren't supposed to be in danger-" he starts but closes his mouth when Rosalie grabs his hand and squeezes harshly. For a moment I am frozen, hoping that my conclusions from that simple move are wrong. I glance at Sulpicia who is the first to catch my eye, and swallow back any emotions or conclusions at her distinct but small shake of her head discouraging me from pressing further. I breathe deeply and Marcus tightens his grip on my right hip, thumb pressing firmly but soothingly through the fabric. Where he not a vampire I don't doubt that he would have to press quite had for me to be able to feel him through all the fabric of my dress, and yet he makes it seem so natural his ability to blend both vampire strength with precision to handle my more delicate state. That is neither here nor there though and I know my mind is merely jumping around because I desperately want to focus on anything but the present. I breathe as deeply as I can again (the corset is surprisingly comfortable, but a full deep breath still isn't possible) and try to force myself back on the topic of our meeting.

"Obviously, we have made a grave mistake, Isabella. I can only hope that you can forgive us," Carlisle eventually says in the aftermath of my words. I pause a moment longer before I answer him.

"I dream in blood and screams due to your coven. I saw a little girl ripped apart in front of me. I will never be the same, Doctor. So no, I do not believe I will be forgiving you or yours anytime soon."

Esme nervously and unnecessarily clears her throat. "We can only endeavor to try and win your trust back, Bel- ahem, Isabella."

I hum quietly in reply neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her statement, turning instead to look away from the Cullens for a moment. Athenodora moves herself slightly drawing my gaze and from behind Caius' body to block the vampires across the room from seeing, rolls her eyes, an expression of exaggerated disgust on her face. My lips quirk slightly for a second, bolstered by her silent support.

"I feel I must ask, how are you doing with the blood issue, Isabella. Seeing as you are living among human drinkers, and your confessed horrors. Especially as you will be turned. Even if you were to take on our vegetarian diet a newborn constantly tantalized by such close enticing blood would surely drive them mad," Carlisle asks his tone a blend of concern and professional. I don't buy it and I can see Caius's nostrils flare in agitation. Caius I am coming to realize can get away with having his displeasure shown, as he seems to project grumpiness in front of others continually anyways. Aro, on the other hand I have yet to see disconcerted or upset in a non-jovial overtone when in company. Even now with this subject undermining them (at least I am fairly sure that is the objective here, I am trying to keep a clear head with all my emotions swirling around), he does not so much as have a single eye movement out of place.

"All of the Volturi has been very good about my human sensibilities. I am well aware they drink blood, but on the other hand with their indulgence in their proper food source I never have to worry about my own safety."

"What do you mean, Isabella?" Esme asks right as Rosalie says scornfully, "That doesn't make any sense."

I lean back into Marcus, trying to make it obvious my comfort level with him. Picking up on this he leans down and slowly, caresses my pulse point with his lips for a couple heartbeats.

I blink myself back into the conversation after a second trying to ignore the feeling of him kissing me. "What I mean is that unlike when I was near your coven, here I don't have to worry about cutting myself on anything. It doesn't matter if I am clumsy and scrape my knee or accidently bite my lip. I'm never reminded to watch myself. Marcus has assured me that all of the Volturi have the ability to control their bloodlust. I can only conclude this is because they drink what they are supposed to. As for myself? I know you are quite old Doctor Cullen but being a medical man I thought you would have been aware of blood banks. It would work quite well for me I believe. The humans donate blood, I'll get my necessary meal and they get free cookies. I mean, it doesn't make sense to kill the milk cow does it? Besides the blood would come pre-packaged and everything," I state and then spout out. I have no idea exactly how the Volturi all feed, and honestly I have tried my very best to ignore that very point (which I can see is likely the reason Carlisle brought it up now- creation of discord seems like a useful tool.) However, I figure my completely off the top of my head answer will at the very least give him pause, though I do feel my stomach churn at the thought of all the blood alone. Gosh, I hope I don't look ill.

I cut Carlisle off before he speaks again wanting to get off the topic, especially as I now remember Caius mentioning something about a group of humans to disconcert the Cullens. I barely hold back a shudder thinking about it. "Not that it really matters at the moment as Gianna has been making me lovely food. She's really quite gifted- especially with Italian desserts."

"Does the fact that Edward left to keep you human mean nothing then?" Rosalie asks barely keeping the disgust in her voice low enough to be considered acceptable in the company she is currently in.

"Edward never took my opinion into consideration, Rosalie. Now, as he willingly left me, he most certainly gets no say in what I chose to or not to do with my life. Neither do you nor the rest of your coven. I may be younger than you but I still have a fully functioning mind of my own, a will of my own. For good or for ill I am responsible for my own choices with all the consequences and benefits that includes. I may ask and take others opinions into consideration, especially those close to me, but I am the final and truly only vote that counts in the end."

I huff at the end of this and look at the present Cullens with mostly hidden distain. They just don't seem to understand this concept. Fed up of defending myself I scratch my nails along the inner palm of Marcus' hand, knowing I need to leave before I get even more worked up. Honestly I hope the rest of my group got something out of this because honestly, all I have at the moment is the beginning of a headache and a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

AN: (I made a small mistake in the last chapter and left out Caius and Athenodora from the meeting. This is stupid of course as Caius is their strategist and therefore needs to be there. I'm sure I had a reason for them not being there previously, but I have since forgotten what that was. Now I've decided if I'm ever going to get this chapter out I just need to write it. So let's just say Caius and Dora slipped in right after Aro and Sulpicia)

*Peeks out from behind fort* Hello? Are you still there? *ducks back due to bombardment of rotten fruit*

Well real life sucks, and so does muse issues. I'm not sure any of you want to hear my excuses but here is the newest chapter. I haven't given up on this, but it is slow going. Real life hasn't been the kindest lately. I wouldn't have gotten this chapter out without all the help of the people on the Until Dawn Facebook page and especially my beta and idea bouncing girl and inspiration pic girl Dixie. You have been an angel.


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